The crowd tensed, hands instinctively going to their weapons as the woman in the colorful, almost garish costume pranced around with exaggerated glee. Raven narrowed her eyes, recognizing the eerie playfulness as more than just an act, as a performer she could tell she was enjoying the attention, and as a fighter, she wasn't that dull, she knew she was dangerous, very dangerous.
Minato stepped forward cautiously, his voice calm but wary "What do you want?" His holy sword was ready in his hand, but the blade remained dim, confirming his earlier suspicion... she wasn't a demon, but something else entirely.
The masked woman clasped her hands together, swaying like she was caught in a joyous dance. "What do I want? Why, nothing too difficult! Just a little audience with the leader of you silly little humans crawling into our dungeon! You see" she said with a laugh "the master wanted me to leave a little message" Her voice turned singsong "Isn't it wonderful?"
Mia's eyes widened in realization "You're… from the dungeon"
As Mia's words spread through the crowd, panic erupted. How was it even possible a dungeon creature came out of the portal!?
The woman spun to face her, mimicking an exaggerated bow "Precisely! Oh, you adventurers just don't know when to quit, do you?" Her mask's sad expression only added a twisted irony to her mirth "And that's what my lady is hoping for! Please do come in!"
Some people, the ones with the best common sense, just ran for their lives, now it was a good time to just run and leave the dumb people to die for their sake. Someone grunted, then someone threw a battle cry, and suddenly, many people were rushing, weapons in hand towards the invader who kept dancing in her spot.
"Die you aberration!" Someone screamed in rage.
Hell broke lose.
The girl easily stopped two swords with her hands, only covered by her theatrical white gloves, it was as if no strength was behind those hits, but when she jumped into the air carrying those two with her they were sent so high that it took a moment for them to hit the ground, and by the time that happened someone was screaming in pain on her knees without eyes as the enemy clawed her face, and two more were laying dead nearby.
"Mia, Sophia, run!" Screamed Minato charging in accompanied by Fuwa.
"Fuwa stop!" Screamed Raven.
"Minato don't!"
"You stupid!"
But the warnings were swallowed by the sounds of steel clashing, cries of pain, and the twisted laughter of the masked performed as she moved through the fray like a dancer on a stage. The chaos was blinding, and it was clear that neither Minato nor Fuwa was fully prepared for the enemy's sheer agility.
Minato lunged forward, swinging his holy sword in a powerful arc. The mysterious girl merely sidestepped, her hand darting out to brush his blade aside as if it were a bothersome fly. With an effortless twist, she closed the distance and struck him across the face with the heel of her hand. He stumbled back, stunned, his sword arm sagging.
"Come now, is this all you can muster?" she sneered, her voice dripping with condescension. Her mask's mournful expression only added a grotesque irony to her taunts.
Fuwa charged in next, her red scarf trailing behind her as she closed the gap. With a fierce yell, she launched a series of rapid punches, her martial arts training on full display. But the rogue matched her movement for movement, dodging with almost supernatural ease, her movements fluid and mocking. Finally, she ducked under Fuwa's arm, spinning and sweeping her legs out from under her. Fuwa fell hard, rolling to her feet with a growl, but her usual confidence was beginning to waver.
"Booooring~" The enemy pretended to yawn and picked four arrows that were fired at her mid-air as if it was nothing, without even paying attention.
Raven watched, her heart pounding, frustration bubbling inside her as she watched her friends get tossed around like ragdolls. She knew that charging in recklessly would be suicide, but she also couldn't stand by while they fought alone.
"Enough of this!" she shouted, finally drawing the rogue's attention. Raven's voice cut through the noise, commanding and sharp. "I don't know who you think you are, but you've messed with the wrong people"
Three orichalcum adventurers joined the fray alongside her, all of them using swords, all of them seemed like masters of their craft. The adventurers swung their weapons in well-coordinated strikes, forcing her to dodge and parry, her mask and costume now lightly smeared with dirt from the force of the skirmish. For a moment, it almost looked like they were pushing her back... her laughter faltered, and her movements grew more hurried.
"Keep pushing bastards! We're doing it!" one of the adventurers shouted, determination filling his voice as he saw the invader falter.
But Raven's eyes narrowed. Something didn't sit right. The rogue's movements seemed just a fraction slower than before, her dodges a bit more deliberate. Raven noticed the subtle, calculated control in each of her retreats, a precision that hinted she was still dictating the pace.
"Wait!" Raven called out "Everyone, hold back! She's...!"
"Oh no! Don't spoil the show!" She screamed kicking a pebble that impacted Raven's forehead sending her flying towards a food cart. She leaped straight into the air, soaring high above their heads in a single, effortless bound, her mask glinting in the sunlight, and with a spinning kick the neck of the three adventurers was twisted in a strange way as they collapsed to the ground.
Raven's vision blurred as the impact momentarily made her disconnect from reality.
In under a single minute, more adventurers died, and Fuwa was sent flying against some rooftop, that was it for Raven who reunited all her courage to stand up once again and took out her dagger, for a moment she closed her eyes and like a performer herself she honed her senses to their peak and charged forward towards the enemy.
The world seemed to slow as Raven charged, her breath steady, each step deliberate. She shut out the chaos around her, focusing only on the woman in front of her. She could feel the ground shift beneath her feet, her muscles coiling with each movement, her mind zeroing in on every detail of the enemy's posture, every shift of weight.
The performer's expression behind the mask was unknown, but if she followed her corporal language she was either calm or amused, almost mocking everyone with her attitude, as if daring her to try. Raven's dagger gleamed, catching the faintest light as she moved in, angling the blade toward the woman's side. But as she struck, the rogue twisted with an inhuman fluidity, sidestepping Raven's blow just enough to make her miss. Yet, Raven had expected it. She pivoted, using her momentum to spin into a low sweep, aiming to catch the dungeon denizen off balance.
The enemy then jumped, gliding gracefully just above Raven's leg. But Raven anticipated this, flipping her dagger and slicing upward, her strike grazing the woman's side, tearing fabric and drawing the faintest line of blood. She hissed, her amusement vanishing for just an instant, replaced by a flash of anger.
Raven pressed her advantage, pushing forward with a series of quick, precise strikes. Her movements were almost like a dance... one she'd rehearsed a thousand times in her mind. It felt like slow motion to her, a delicate, deadly rhythm that only she and the rogue could feel. To the others watching, it must have looked like a chaotic whirlwind of motion, a dance of life and death of two girls entangled in one breath.
But then, the girl's mocking smile returned behind her mask. She feigned a stumble, allowing Raven to close in, only to catch Raven's wrist with lightning speed, twisting her arm painfully until the dagger dropped from her hand. Raven's heart sank as her enemy leaned in close, her voice a soft, mocking whisper.
"You're fun, little kitten. So much fire… but far too predictable, but from artist to artist this is my resolution"
Then the enemy's mask came undone for a fraction of a second, Raven wasn't able to see her face, but she felt a terrible pain in her chest as she felt the performer's hand piercing through her and grasping her heart and she felt a kiss on her lips, the world went black.
...
...
...
Raven fell to her knees puking and gasping for air. She touched her chest where she had been fatally wounded, not even her illusory skill had activated to save her that time, what the hell happened?
"Raven! What's wrong!?" Asked Fuwa worried.
The cat girl looked ahead and nothing had happened yet... Minato was in front of them questioning the enemy.
"What do I want? Why, nothing too difficult! Just a little audience with the leader of you silly little humans crawling into our dungeon! You see" she said with a laugh "the master wanted me to leave a little message" Her voice turned singsong "Isn't it wonderful?"
She could feel the gaze of the enemy on her, it terrified her. Then she did a silly spin and a powerful wind raised, pushing most of the people away knocking them.
"Or that I wanted! But I changed my mind!" With a fast jump, she was in front of Raven and touched her chest where she had killed her a moment ago "I might even love you!" She got closer to Raven's face and whispered "And I will haunt you little kitten, my fire-driven cat~"
Fuwa threw a punch towards the messenger who evaded her with no effort.
"Just tell the boring people who didn't want to play, that my master is waiting for them! If he wants to surrender she will accept it!" She laughed and vanished in a blinding flash of light.
"What the hell was that!" Fuwa screamed furious.
Was it an illusion? It felt way too real for Raven, but she was too confused to even think about what was going on.