Chapter 28: Attack by a Star
Raiden dragged his sword as he and the others made their way out of the house. There, before the fountain, stood a black grand piano. Behind it sat a girl dressed in a black suit, her long black hair cascading gently down her back, flickering in the wind.
Her eyes caught their attention immediately—she wore star-shaped contact lenses on both eyes, making them glow yellow in correspondence with her mana crest, which bore the number 7.
"A star?" Leo asked, startled. "Even a couple of knights would be preferable... they’re hot on our trail now."
Raiden clutched the hilt of his sword tightly as he watched a soft smile spread across the girl’s lips, growing more pronounced by the second.
"Levi, turn invisible and get closer." His voice cracked with excitement. "Strike when you get the chance."
Levi gave him a nod and vanished. However, within seconds, the girl pressed a minor key, and a blade of sound shot toward them in a flash. Too fast to avoid, Raiden threw up his sword to block it, but the force sent him skidding backward on his feet.
"I think she can manipulate sounds into blades..." Leo said and held his stance.
Raiden began laughing out loud, his body shaking, and before he could stop himself, he was sprinting toward the girl. Every step sent thrills through him, yet his heart hammered like never before. Ash expanded and gave chase while Leo remained paralyzed, unsure how to act.
Before Raiden and Ash could close the distance, the girl’s playing quickened, unleashing dozens of sound blades. Raiden deflected them while grinning, yet the more exhilarated he grew, the more it felt like his very soul was abandoning him out of terror.
The girl’s piano playing intensified. Raiden braced himself within the storm of blades and kept blocking, his body moving with inhuman speed. But the strikes were too relentless and powerful—he couldn’t parry them all. Soon he found himself skidding backward, his limbs weakening until he could no longer lift his hands.
Pain tore through his body as the strikes began to split his skin, but caught in euphoria, he could only respond with hollow, breathless laughter.