Pecking Order

By the time I could see Finn again, Jill had already been kicked.

Finn had closed into point-blank range, planted both hands on the ground with daggers still gripped, and used both feet to kick upward into Jill's face.

Finn's frame was small, but her body was honed through training and strengthened by hunting monsters.

A grown man would have had his neck snapped by a kick like that.

Jill's body lifted into the air and slammed against the ceiling.

But Jill shifted mid-flight, landed on the ceiling with both feet, and launched herself back down with a swing of her greatsword aimed straight at Finn.

Finn dodged by a hair's breadth and slashed at Jill with both daggers.

Incredibly, Jill caught one of them in her teeth.

Finn tried to wrench the bitten dagger free, but it wouldn't budge.

The bite force was staggering.

"What are your teeth even made of?!"

Finn spat the words out and drove her right knee up toward Jill's chin.

Just before it connected, Jill released the dagger from her mouth and pulled away.

But Finn's left foot was already extending.

It struck precisely into Jill's solar plexus, sinking deep.

Jill couldn't take it and spat saliva from her mouth.

Even so, she tried to grab Finn's leg with her free left hand.

Before she could, Finn flicked her left foot upward and kicked Jill in the face again.

"… Ow."

Jill rubbed her jaw and stared at Finn.

"Way tougher than she looks. Every one of those hits should've knocked her out cold."

"You move so smoothly. But I'm getting used to it."

"Like hell you are."

Finn tapped the toe of her right foot against the floor.

The rhythmic sound rang four times, and in that instant, Finn vanished again.

But this time, Jill's eyes tracked the disappearing figure.

"There."

Jill swung her greatsword.

To my eyes, it looked like she'd whiffed at empty air. But Jill had swung with total conviction.

And Finn had, in fact, been right there.

She was running along the flat of the swinging blade, straight toward Jill.

"Oh, that's neat."

Her voice was devoid of tension.

Jill, however, was wide-eyed. She was genuinely surprised.

Remembering that Jill had stopped her dagger with her teeth, Finn shifted her aim to the shoulder.

Jill released the greatsword and crossed both arms to guard her shoulders.

"Let me teach you something. Even if you protect your shoulders, injuring your hands makes it pointless."

Finn's twin daggers plunged deep into both of Jill's hands.

The blades pierced clean through her palms. There was no way she could grip a greatsword like that.

"Oh. I didn't know that."

Finn pulled the daggers free and put distance between them.

Jill's blood stained the floor.

Finn flicked her daggers to shed the blood.

A wet splatter.

Finn hadn't dropped her fighting stance, but by any measure, the fight was over.

Yet Jill gripped the greatsword again with her badly injured hands.

The dripping blood increased in proportion to the force she squeezed.

"It hurts. But I can still hold it."

"… You really aren't normal."

Finn said it with something like exasperation.

This time, unlike before, she closed the distance on foot.

Jill raised her greatsword, but her movements were clearly dulled.

"People say a wounded beast is dangerous. But that's not because it ignores the pain like you do."

Finn leaned aside, just enough to avoid Jill's greatsword, and stood directly in front of her.

"It's the willingness to die for a mutual kill that makes them terrifying. I don't sense that from you."

At near-zero distance, Finn gently placed her hand on Jill's neck.

She pressed down on the artery, precisely and instantaneously.

Jill looked at Finn, puzzled.

The moment she tried to speak, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed.

As Jill toppled backward, Finn caught her head just enough to keep it from hitting the floor.

"For someone like you, this was the easier approach."

"Well, well. Jill went down just like that."

Iefuda dusted off his coat and stood up.

There was no panic on his face.

"I've been tinkering with her, but she's still only good enough to lose to an assassin."

The moment he finished speaking, his right leg bent at an unnatural angle.

Finn had kicked it.

"Don't call me an assassin with that filthy mouth of yours."

"Ooh, scary, scary. How long has it been since I've had a bone broken?"

Iefuda produced a potion from inside his coat and drank it.

It must have been a powerful one. The broken leg snapped back into place with an audible crack.

"Want me to kill you?"

"I'll pass. You win this round! Man, I really need to think things through better. We're both running out of time, after all. Am I right?"

"What are you talking about? And you think I'm going to let you just walk away?"

There was no question that Iefuda was involved in this mess.

I'd intended to hand him over along with everyone else.

"It's not time yet. Goodbye, brothers."

"Who's your brother?! Azu!"

I sensed him about to do something and called out.

Azu sprinted to restrain Iefuda, but all she touched was the coat he'd been wearing.

He was nowhere to be seen.

Like a magic trick.

"Looking forward to next time! See ya!"

Only his voice echoed through the room.

The instant I'd been distracted by Iefuda and looked away, Jill had vanished too.

I didn't understand how he'd done it, but he must have taken her with him.

… The brothers who'd attacked us were still lying right where they'd fallen.

"Well, the pecking order's been settled."

Finn sheathed her daggers and let out a sharp snort.

Jill had been unnervingly strong, but Finn had dominated her completely.

Even to an amateur's eye, it had been impressive.

"Doesn't look like there's going to be a second wave. I'll go tell Jacob… I should be the one to go. Makes the most sense."

I was the weakest one here, or rather, I had nothing to contribute.

Since I couldn't deal with a crisis if one arose, it was better to leave this place in their hands.

"Right, I'll leave things here to you. I'm heading out."

"Master, I told you not to go anywhere alone."

Alexia said it with an exasperated look and poked me in the side.

I hadn't forgotten.