Kael blinked repeatedly, his lungs burning as air rushed in raggedly. He felt as if he had just emerged from a profound nightmare, dragging with him the weight of confusion and exhaustion.

His still-blurred vision barely made out the shapes before him—until the golden reflection of Irelia's hair broke through the haze of his senses. A brief relief threatened to form, but was snatched away in the next instant.

Between him and the three women at the door, a figure moved with predatory grace.

Sazhara rose slowly, each movement matching the tense sway of her tail, which sliced the air with a sharp snap. Her blue eyes, sharp as blades of ice, sparked with irritation and malice. A crooked smile played across her crimson lips—a smile that sought not charm, but merely provocation.

Rolling her shoulders, she positioned herself like a living wall before Kael, completely blocking his view of the newcomers.

"Who are you bitches?" Her voice held a sharp, venomous tone, as if she were spitting the word.

The silence that followed lasted less than a blink.

Irelia took a single step forward. The movement seemed simple, but the air around her reacted immediately.

The gold in her eyes intensified until they resembled miniature suns. The energy of her aura began to release from her body like incandescent vapor, rippling and burning the space around her.

The sharp metallic sound of her sword being drawn from its sheath echoed through the room like an inevitable verdict.

"Call me a bitch. Again." Her voice was low, controlled, but imbued with a threat so real it seemed to hang heavy in the air.

Sazhara arched an eyebrow and tilted her chin upward, her lips curling into a cheeky smile. She took a deep breath, savoring the tension, and began to speak her taunt.

"F—" She didn't finish.

Irelia moved. No—she vanished.

In an instant, she was standing before Sazhara. The air exploded with a dull boom, as if atmospheric pressure itself were crushed. The golden blade flashed like lightning and met the succubus's body with overwhelming force.

The impact wasn't just a blow—it was a brutal discharge of pure energy.

The wall behind Sazhara shattered like thin glass, the ceiling shuddered with deep cracks, and the floor gave way under the weight of the shockwave.

The succubus's body was thrown like a projectile, piercing through wood, plaster, and glass, until it was spat out of the tavern. She spun in the air before crashing into the street with a deafening thud, opening a shallow crater that sent dust and stone fragments flying in all directions.

Kael half-rose, his muscles still trembling, but two shadows moved around him.

"Don't even think about it," Amelia said, gently pushing him back onto the makeshift mattress.

"Irelia can handle it herself," Sylphie added, her gaze fixed on the hole left by the battle, as if she could follow her friend's every movement through the vibrations in the air.

On the street, Irelia walked to the edge of the rubble. The blade in her hand seemed to pulse with her heart, and her aura now escaped in waves so dense they distorted the vision of anyone who dared look at her.

She took a deep breath, her muscles relaxing, but each step was a prelude to death.

"Take care of him," she said, not taking her eyes off the cloud of dust ahead.

Swirling her sword in a slow, precise motion, she scattered golden sparks into the air. Her steady hand didn't tremble; her expression showed no uncontrolled rage, but a cold, cutting determination.

"I'm going to kill this whore."

The street was silent.

Not the calm silence of a still night, but the heavy, suffocating silence that precedes a disaster.

Irelia's boots pounded the tavern's stairwell with measured steps, but each beat seemed to resonate like war drums. The air vibrated around her, charged with electricity and a golden energy that distorted vision, like heat on stone.

The onlookers, who had been whispering minutes before, instinctively backed away, like animals before a predator. No one needed to understand what was happening to know that staying close was dangerous.

In the middle of the street, amid the dust still dissipating from the initial explosion, a silhouette began to emerge. Sazhara.

The succubus's wings snapped open, the membrane torn in several places, but still menacing. Small black flames trailed along the edges of the slits. Her dress, once provocative, was now torn and scarred from the initial cut. Fresh scars smoldered on her skin.

But the eyes...

The eyes burned with a fury so intense that anyone who met those gazes would have the instinct to flee.

"You will regret this, mortal." Her voice was low, laced with venom.

Irelia didn't respond.

She simply vanished.

There was no time to react. In an instant, Irelia was before her, her blade already mid-slash. Demonic reflexes saved Sazhara at the last second—her hands shot up, conjuring a shield of pure black energy.

The impact was a thunderclap.

The entire street shook.

The shockwave expanded, cracking the walls of nearby houses and shattering glass. People were knocked back meters away.

"Hhhrrraaaaah!" Sazhara roared, straining her shield against the pressure of the sword.

"Haaaaghhh!" Irelia responded, her strength increasing almost absurdly.

The ground beneath them shattered, opening craters and scattering stone fragments everywhere.

Sazhara lashed her tail through the air, aiming for Irelia's flank. The warrior leaned to the side, dodging by inches, and in one fluid motion, she sliced off the tip of the tail.

The succubus's scream echoed, filled with pain and rage.

But there was no time to feel it.

Irelia swung her sword in a horizontal arc, aiming for her neck. Sazhara ducked at the last second, using the momentum to launch a beam of violet energy straight at her opponent's abdomen.

The shot struck Irelia squarely, knocking her backward.

She slammed her sword into the ground, dragging herself to a stop, the blade glinting against the stones. Dust and sparks flew up.

"Tsk..." She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her thumb. "Is that all you have?"

Sazhara roared, her wings beating so hard the air pressure shattered more windows. She shot like a missile, her talons coated in demonic energy.

The first blow—Irelia dodged.

The second—blocked by the side of the sword.

The third—Irelia twisted her body, sending the blade streaking the ground before rising in a vertical slash.

The impact was devastating.

Golden energy gathered, surging up the blade and exploding against Sazhara's body. Her flesh was marked by a smoking scar of light.

The succubus staggered, but did not flinch.

Her eyes blazed with insanity. With both hands, she summoned a sphere of black energy, so dense it felt like a tear in the fabric of reality.

"DIE!" her scream vibrated the air.

The sphere slammed into Irelia, and the ensuing explosion shook the entire street. A column of dust and debris rose, swallowing the vision.

Silence.

Until... footsteps.

Irelia emerged from the dust, unharmed. The sword now burned with golden flames, each spark scorching the ground as it fell.

"I told you..." She advanced, each step cracking the stones. "Call me a whore again."

And she was gone.

She reappeared behind Sazhara. A quick slash. The dry sound of flesh being ripped open.

Black blood spattered the ground. The succubus fell to her knees, gasping, her wings trembling.

Irelia swung the sword in a swift motion, flinging the blood away.

"This is... for messing with him." Her voice was pure fury. She raised the blade above her head. "And this... is because I want to."

The final blow came in a flash. The blade came down with such force that the air itself seemed to split.

And then—it stopped.

Held.

A bare hand, shrouded in a faint golden glow, held the blade as if it were merely a twig. Not a drop of blood, not a mark. Just absolute strength.

"Who gave you the right to attack her without cause?" The voice was low, but charged with authority.

Irelia looked up. Kael stood there, his body still marked with exhaustion, but his golden eyes shone with an almost divine intensity.

The blade, which moments before had cut through stone and steel like butter, was completely immobilized in his palm. His aura was different now—dense, heavy, almost crushing.

Sazhara, even wounded, gave a faint smile as she sensed his presence.

Irelia, however, did not flinch. The gold in her eyes glowed even brighter, and her energy began to struggle against the pressure Kael exerted.

The entire street seemed to hold its breath.

The silence was so thick that every falling speck of dust seemed to make a noise.

Irelia's blade remained suspended, clutched in Kael's hand. Her gaze, filled with rage, never wavered from his.

His eyes, however, weren't filled with fury—they were filled with command. A presence that said there was no arguing, only obedience.

"Irelia," his voice was firm, without raising its tone. "This ends now."

"She messed with you," the warrior replied, each word coming out with difficulty, as if swallowing her anger was physically painful. "I won't let it go."

Kael inclined his head slightly, the golden glow in his eyes intensifying.

"I never said I didn't allow her to do what she did. We'll talk." He dropped his sword, but didn't back down. "This isn't the time to spill any more blood."

Irelia held her stance for a few seconds, her breathing quickening. Her warrior instinct screamed to end the fight right then and there. But something in his tone—the authority, the weight, perhaps the connection she didn't want to acknowledge—made her lower her blade, though she still gritted her teeth.

He walked past her unhurriedly, walking to Sazhara, who was still kneeling on the ground. Her wings trembled slightly, and her breathing was heavy. The wounds opened by Irelia's sword still smoldered, burning with golden energy that wouldn't fade.

"You're hurt," Kael said, kneeling beside her.

"Hmph... it's nothing I can't handle." The succubus tried to maintain her prideful tone, but the black blood dripping from her side belied her words.

Kael extended his hand. A circle of golden light began to form beneath it, intricate lines of energy flowing as if alive. His aura changed—no longer heavy and oppressive, but warm, almost cozy.

The glow grew, enveloping Sazhara like a blanket of light. The wounds began to slowly close, the skin repairing itself, the burn marks fading. Her wings, once torn, regained their intact black membranes.

She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the pain dissolve. When she opened it again, she stared at Kael with an expression that mixed surprise and... something else.

"Why... are you helping me?" she asked, her voice low.

Kael didn't answer immediately. He remained focused on the spell, the light pulsing with each beat of his heart. When he finished, he withdrew his hand and stood.

"Because we still have much to discuss." His gaze flickered briefly over Irelia, Sylphie, and Amelia. "All of us."