Chapter 7

"How is it? Have the herders started moving?" Khun transmitted.

"Nope," Shibisu returned. "They're just lazing about."

"Wait a bit more. They should move soon, based on what that coffee addict said."

The Final Test was a strange one. It was called the 'Submerged Fish Hunt', but rather than hunting for fish themselves (as Rak originally assumed), they were to ensure the herders, or goby dolphins, hunted successfully.

Not only that, in order to pass, the herders had to catch a specific 'fish'. That 'fish' happened to be a shinsu bubble containing Bam and Rachel, who'd been placed inside the 'Wine Glass' – the hunting grounds in this case.

It didn't sit well with Leona, that those two were cut off from the rest of them, so she'd told Kai and Shira to find a way into it. As soon as possible, she would join Bam and Rachel to make sure no surprise dangers threatened the mission.

"Hey, Khun," Shibisu communicated. "They've started to move."

"Finally, the lazy jerks. Hatz? What about the thieves?"

The thief, or barnacle goblin, was a natural enemy of the goby dolphin, since they would often steal their catch.

"Nothing, really, I don't think they'll move soon. What about the dogs?"

The dog, also known as the striped earthpig, was a predator that fed on the goby dolphin, but also didn't get along with the thief – something Khun was planning to take advantage of.

"Not yet. Keep an eye on the thieves for now."

"Okay, and..." said Hatz, "did anyone see the Bull?"

The Bull was a ravenous predator that would eat anything in sight. At all costs, they had to prevent it from attacking the herders, but also take care not to be killed by it themselves.

"No sign of it," Leona replied from her Lighthouse. "But the evening is still young."

She continued exploring the dark cavern with her second Lighthouse, on the lookout for danger – in particular, the Bull. While the others may have held some hope that it wouldn't show up, she wasn't so optimistic. In fact, she was certain that it would show up at some point.

She also didn't trust that the coffee addict would have mentioned all the potential threats, anyway, which was part of the reason she was on such high alert.

Her second Lighthouse wasn't far from Shibisu, when she picked up a mysterious light some distance away.

"Shibisu. You see that?" said Leona. "Anything on the Observer?"

"No... What is that?"

The light arced around some stalagmites, flitting out of sight. She manoeuvred her Lighthouse closer...

"Shibisu! Run towards your left!"

"Huh?"

"It's the Bull!"

"The Bull?"

He bolted out of the way, just in time to avoid being caught in the beast's mouth. As he ran like hell for leather, he bawled, "It's so scary, someone help me! Damn that coffee machine, it looks nothing like the crocodile. Compared to that thing, Rak is super cute!"

Leona could only agree. It had smooth black skin that blended perfectly with the shadows, blood-red eyes and fins, and a terrifying set of razor-sharp teeth.

In the meantime, she contacted Endorsi and Anaak. "You two can stop bickering and be useful. Help Shibisu before he gets eaten."

"Huh, what'd you say?" both Princesses snapped back at her.

"Please?"

As she returned her attention to Shibisu, she heard a very alarming, "Hey! I-I'm delicious!"

"Oi, what're you doing, just get out of there!"

Both he and the Bull were at a standstill; the monster's attention was diverted. Then she realised that the Scout was, very bravely, attempting to keep it from targeting the herders.

"I'm almost there, so don't do anything stupid," Leona told him, but he didn't appear to hear, as he instead charged at it, shouting at the top of his lungs. Well, at least he finally succeeded in distracting it. But it caught his ankle with a tentacle, slamming him to the ground.

When she exited her Lighthouse and ran to him, she found him in a very precarious position, lying on his back with the Bull breathing over him, its tongue running over his face.

Leona launched herself feet-first into its face, knocking it aside before it could bite into Shibisu. She had to quickly step back though, as it nearly bit her foot off. Withdrawing a long knife, she slashed at it in short bouts, cutting as much as she could, wherever she could reach, and then pulling back as it retaliated.

Its skin was tough and thick, but she could at least buy time for him to escape... "Why are you still there?" she shouted.

"It's not letting go! Arggh!" Mustering his strength, he kicked it between the legs and tried to scramble away, but contrary to his expectations, it was unaffected. It pulled him back, screeching in his face. "Aaaaaahhhh! I give up, eat the dolphins, not me. Help me, Leona!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" she gritted out. She'd jumped onto the Bull's back, and was trying to rein it in. Noticing a flash of green extending out, she leapt off just as the Green April slammed into the beast, knocking it away from the traumatised man.

"Don't eat him, monster. You'll get sick."

"Anaak!" Shibisu called in relief.

"True. If you're really hungry, you'd rather try this lizard. She'd be good for your health."

"Endorsi!"

They sure took their time coming.

"Shut up, you witch."

"Who're you calling a witch?"

"You, cake-face."

Leona facepalmed. And worse, instead of fighting the Bull, they were squabbling again. As the beast recovered and went for Shibisu again, she intercepted it and stabbed her knife through the roof of its mouth. Ignoring the stench of its breath, she grappled with it for dear life. One wrong move and she'd lose a hand – at best.

"Uhh, ladies! A little help here?"

"It's cold, dark, damp and smelly." Endorsi sat down. "It looks like you, so you deal with it," she told Anaak.

The lizard sat down, too. "No, I don't want to."

I swear, I'm going to strangle them. Is this the time for this? The Bull had its tentacle wrapped around her and was slowly squeezing the life out of her.

Shibisu tackled it, which gave her a chance to take action. Thankfully, her pouch was still accessible – she momentarily diverted one hand to pull a small ball out of it, which she activated and tossed down its throat.

Leona backed off as a series of electric shocks passed over it, dazing it for a while. The tentacle slackened, releasing her. She marched over to the two Princesses. "What is your deal?"

"You seemed to be handling it just fine, though," Endorsi shrugged.

Good grief. Go get your eyes checked. If she'd been doing as well as the Princess seemed to think, she wouldn't have had to use one of her valuable items. Leona pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on. "Are you two just afraid of it, is that the reason?" The oldest trick in the book to rile them into fighting it.

Behind, the Bull had regained itself – quicker than she'd expected – and was once again about to eat Shibisu. What kind of insane bad luck does he have?

"Of course not. Anyway, we have a deal," Endorsi said to the lizard as she stood, "but I'm going first."

It seemed she and Anaak had made a bet regarding who'd kill the Bull first.

"In five minutes," she giggled gleefully as she faced the monster, "the Black March will be mine!"

Endorsi owned that fight. With her quick reflexes and powerful strikes, the Bull barely got a single hit in against her, while she subdued it – almost too easily.

Eventually, before she could deal the final blow, Anaak interrupted, using her Reel Inventory to tug her back. As the two once again quarrelled, the Bull managed to run off.

"Oh. Time's up, it's my turn now." The lizard whizzed off after it, Endorsi following soon after.

"Ughh, those bloody muscle-heads!" Leona growled, and went after them. Those two were recklessly rushing into the dark, when that creature fought best in the shadows. So, at the very least, she could light the way for them.

But unfortunately, she soon lost track of them, and couldn't reach their Pockets.

Pausing for a moment, she read the shinsu waves as best she could. It wasn't very clear from this distance, but she sensed some form of life in one direction.

Khun called. "Leona, Shibisu, did you find them?"

"No," the Scout replied, gasping. "Stupid princesses! They've gone out of communication range."

"...I think there's more to it than that, since I'm a lot closer, but I can't get hold of them, either," Leona informed them both. "Be careful, something really fishy is going on. I think we have an unexpected enemy." As she'd gone further, she'd distinguished a more powerful presence than either of the Princesses.

"What? What is it?" said Khun, a note of alarm in his voice.

"I'm not sure. But I'll be finding out in a bit, I guess. Depending on the situation, I might not be able to communicate, but I'll send a Lighthouse your way, Shibisu."

"Got it. Take care."

Leona ended the call there, dimming her Lighthouse as she came closer to a distant light.

Her heart began running a marathon when she finally came upon the scene, but remained hidden. Anaak had been stabbed in the chest, but was fortunately still alive. Someone familiar was closing in on her, languid, but every move threatening. The Wavecontrollers' teacher? What is going on? But after watching a moment, Leona immediately understood that he was one of Jahad's minions, come to deal with Jahad's enemy.

She hesitated a split second, considering her options. They were up against a Ranker. At her current level, what could she do? If she waited to see how things would unfold, she may find some opportunity. But wait too long, and she could be too late to save the lizard.

Gripping her sword, still in its sheath, Leona prepared herself. Dari, give me your strength.

Anaak was now on the floor, blood pooling around her as she reached for the Green April. One thing was beyond doubt – they'd have a better chance of surviving if they had that weapon.

Before the fur ball could reach it, Leona tossed a special shinsu bomb across, to the strange-looking creature that was under his command. Similar to a spark igniting gas, the moment it made contact, the creature's own shinsu exploded.

Taking advantage of the disturbance, she executed a mad dash across, slashing at him with lightning speed and snatching up the Green April as she passed by.

"You gonna live, Anaak?" she said, turning to face Jahad's assassin.

The lizard grunted in response. "He's...dangerous," she managed to warn.

"No matter, we'll get out of this somehow." She said it to convince herself as much as Anaak.

"Oohh. It's my lucky day. You're not part of my mission, but you'll fetch a nice bonus."

Creep. A chill ran down Leona's spine. But she had no time to pause and think about what he might know about her. His creature had disappeared – he probably put it away for recovery, but that was only a tiny victory. Being an Anima and a Ranker, there was no doubt he had others.

Attempting to give him as little reprieve as possible, Leona relentlessly attacked with both the Green April and her sword. But nothing had any effect, and he was careful not to let her near Anaak.

This is tough. What should I do now? Her fingers brushed over her necklace briefly. It was exhausting to fight the fur ball, avoid his attacks, and watch out for his shinheuh. Especially since she couldn't make high-risk moves – to last, she had to play it cautious. But some attacks simply couldn't be dodged or blocked, so even after a mere minute, she was bleeding from multiple wounds, most of them severe.

Still, best not to reveal my cards too soon.

Leona doubted she could kill him, but was hoping for an opportunity to at least knock him out and allow their escape. The fact that he'd only taken action all the way in here meant that he was doing this without the test administrators' authority. Hansung Yu wouldn't do anything, but if Lero Ro found out, maybe...

"Hehehe, as fun as this little chase is, you might want to stand down," said the assassin.

Just then, the Bull reappeared, an unconscious Endorsi wrapped in its tentacle.

The brief distraction cost Leona heavily, as she received a kick, full-on to the gut, and was sent slamming into a rocky outcrop. Bones cracked, and her head was left ringing for a while. Crumpled on the ground, she couldn't lift a muscle as he took the Green April. So much for all that effort.

While she lay there helpless, barely conscious, he woke Endorsi (the first thing she did was slap him for waking her, which was rather satisfying), and urged her prove her loyalty to Jahad by killing Anaak. He even tossed her the Green April for that purpose.

Leona's head cleared enough that she could slowly grip her sword again, while pretending to be unconscious. She also checked on her spare Lighthouse, which she'd sent to Shibisu as promised – and her heart soared. Now she could say with certainty that they would survive. As long as they held out long enough.

She watched through slitted eyes as Endorsi stepped toward Anaak, the Green April held out so it's hook touched her neck. She crouched down, and whispered something to the lizard.

A menacing presence came up beside her. "You'd better hurry it up, Princess," Jahad's assassin compelled. "If you take too long, I'll start hurting your friend here. To be honest, I need to bring her back alive, but that doesn't necessarily mean in one piece."

Damn it. While he didn't seem to know she was an Irregular, he definitely knew her identity.

"Of course," Endorsi assured him with a brightness Leona could tell was fake. "I just want to set the mood so I can enjoy her final moments of despair, you understand?"

"Oh, I do understand. Go ahead, Princess."

As the two Princesses continued muttering to each other, Leona decided to remove herself as a hostage from the situation. She couldn't allow herself to be a burden to them, and if they ignored the danger to her, she'd be the one getting hurt, anyway. It helped to know that the assassin wouldn't kill her, though. It meant she could act a little more recklessly.

Suppressing her bloodlust, taking care not to reveal her intentions beforehand, she estimated the his position relative to her. Then, in one beautifully smooth swing, her blade arced upward, striking him in the face. Beneath the fluff, she'd managed to draw blood.

He turned to her in surprise, but that was his mistake, as the Princesses gained the chance to switch weapons – the Black March going to Endorsi.

But right when it seemed like they'd cornered him, the mouth of the fur ball yawned wide-open, and a blast of shinsu flung Endorsi aside. Then he kicked Anaak's neck, stomping down and pinning her to the ground. "I guess I have no choice. Fun time's over, I'll deal with you myself."

"You bastard, stop!" Endorsi gasped out from where she lay.

When Leona tried to knock him aside, she was thrown back again.

Come on, hurry! She gritted her teeth. Help was almost there, she knew. They – Anaak – just had to hold out a little longer...

But she couldn't just watch her suffer.

The assassin taunted Endorsi, stepping harder against the lizard's throat and choking her. And the sicko was giggling all the way. "The best way to deal with insects is to step on them!"

"That's enough!" Gathering what strength she could, ignoring her aches and injuries, Leona pushed back up, rushing him headlong. As expected, she didn't do much harm to him, but she'd aimed for his foot, so the brief release allowed Anaak to gulp a breath.

"You stupid girl, you just don't learn."

Before she could retreat, she was shoved down, and a needle pierced straight through her arm and into the ground. "Aahh!" She couldn't help the scream that left her, but steeled herself against the pain. She refused to give him the satisfaction of a single tear.

"Leona!" she vaguely heard Endorsi shout.

Just as the assassin returned his focus to Anaak, a stone flew from the darkness and bounced off the back of his head. He paused. "Who's there?" Then a few more came. "What's— this—?" He turned. "Who dares to do this? I know you're there, so show yourself!"

"Who would dare?" Even though it had been ages, Leona still recognised that voice. Despite her agony, she smiled with joy and relief. Yuri Jahad was here at last.

A raven-haired, ruby-eyed beauty stepped into the light. "Those are my sisters you've been beating."

"Good work, Shibisu," Leona muttered to him as he passed her a bottle with shaking hands. The guy was almost in tears.

After the assassin had moved away, Shibisu, coming out from behind Yuri, had rushed over to Leona and Anaak. Despite being shocked beyond belief, he'd pulled out the needle pinning her down – he flinched more than her – and brought out her strongest revitalising tonic from her Lighthouse at her behest.

Using her left arm, which wasn't stabbed, Leona tipped the bottle back, downing half before passing the rest to Anaak. Using her Lighthouse as a prop, she stood to watch the events unfolding.

As much as she would have loved it if Yuri beat the stuffing out of that fur ball, she knew that the Princess could not act carelessly. Come to think of it, where's Evan?

Initially, Yuri had pointed out the fact that interference in the Regulars' test was against the rules, regardless of his job. She commanded him to go, and leave the retrieval of the Green April and Black March to her.

But the imbecile actually dared to threaten to tell Jahad about her letting the 'fake' go.

Leona smirked. Had he even heard of Yuri Jahad?

Yuri was unimpressed, to say the least. A rumbling pressure built up, until the ground around her cracked beneath it. "Did you just threaten me?" she said with a dangerously calm voice.

The fur ball trembled. "Threaten? No, Princess, I'm just worried what Jahad would—"

"Oh, is that so? Everything becomes okay once you mention the name 'Jahad' at the end. Very convenient. But don't you think it's crazy to threaten the Princess of Jahad with the name of Jahad? This power isn't something so trivial that it can be given to those who use the name for their convenience. Step aside, or I'll kill you."

The fur ball was shaking like a leaf. Then his mouth opened to unleash a multitude of shinheuh on Yuri, and he licked his lips in ecstasy.

And that was when she realised he hadn't been trembling with fear. Ugh, what a pervert. But does he really think that can put a scratch on her? Also, he'd just dug his own grave. Because he'd just given her the perfect pretext to attack him.

As expected, Yuri decimated his creatures. In the blink of an eye, she appeared right in front of him, arm extended to flick him in the head. "Now, this is self-defence."

When the dust settled, the assassin was standing to one side, still intact.

"Hey, why did you dodge? Come here." She stepped forward, but unexpectedly paused.

Did someone contact her? It was probably Evan, trying to curb her. Leona's suspicions were confirmed when Yuri turned away, a look of displeasure on her face.

"Darn it," she grumbled. "Being a Princess is so tiresome. Hey, you. Do whatever you want." She picked up the Black March as she passed by Endorsi.

Shibisu shouted after her, begging her to help them, to hit the assassin just once. But Yuri was unfazed, and that's what told Leona this wasn't the end of it. Because even if she really had to abandon them... Well, she wouldn't. She'd find a way.

The assassin was giggling, hysterical with glee, when a wave of shinsu suddenly slammed into him from above, bringing him to his knees. A second, larger wave followed soon after, so huge they all had to brace themselves against the shockwaves.

A Dansulsa? Looks like they didn't come alone.

The fur ball was flattened into the ground, stained with blood.

Since it was one of Yuri's teammates that had taken action, there was no evidence tying back to her. So, it was the best resolution to the event that they could ask for.

That is, until he spoke again. "Princess, the person you're looking for, is it the Irregular, Bam?"

They all froze. Yuri looked back.

"I sent the Bull."

Leona gasped, her blood running cold. The Bull! How could I forget? And, of course, the assassin knew what Bam was. Of course, he wouldn't let Bam live, knowing that.

"... The boy will not come back alive, Princess."

When he was done talking, the contents of the fur casing disappeared – as that was a mere skin, rather than his real body.

"Evan," Yuri said at last. "I can't stand this. I'll rip this absurd stage to pieces."

While she had an argument with Evan, which even Hansung Yu joined in at some point, Leona pulled a cloak over her bloodied clothes, which were torn in some places. She staggered to her sword, wiped it clean, and returned it to its scabbard.

"Leona," said Yuri earnestly. "Do you think Bam will pass this test?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to do my best to make sure he does."

"Hey, there's nothing you can do now," said Endorsi. "You have to trust him. Bam will survive. Because I said I'd go on a date with him if he comes back alive."

If it were another time, Leona would have laughed. Now, she just wore a weak smile. "I know Bam is stronger than most would think. But even so, l'll never forgive myself if I don't at least try."

She didn't think it was a lost cause, even against an opponent like the Bull. She had faith in his power and determination to live. But that didn't mean he had to fight alone. She needed to be there, if he needed a helping hand.

Through a combination of fortune and tenacity, Leona's legs had finally steadied. She strode forward and hugged the ruby-eyed Princess. "Thanks for everything, Yuri. It was good to see you again. I'd just like you to know... I've found my purpose."

Yuri patted her on the back. "Good. See you soon."

With that, Leona set off with all possible haste.

"It's over here!" Kai led her through a narrow gap in the rock, and into a cave which was dominated by a pool of water. Apparently, it connected straight to the Wine Glass, through an underwater tunnel.

Wasting no time, Leona pulled her necklace over her head; it clattered to the ground.

The effect was like breathing fresh air after years of imprisonment. It was like the release of a limb that had been chained for ages. After all, the gemstone on the necklace was a limiter she'd crafted for herself, in order to hide her power.

Shinsu gathered toward her, and as she stepped into the pool, she formed a bubble, which acted as a barrier between her and the water. To move deeper, she controlled the bubble, as well as the waves around it. Encountering the tunnel where Shira had said it would be, Leona was reminded of her gratitude to her and Kai. They'd diligently discovered this route earlier, and then found her just as she began trailing after the Bull.

The tunnel wasn't too long; Leona soon exited into a vast expanse of water. Sensing disruption in the waves not far off, she hurried that way.

The light from the fish became clearer, and the glow allowed her to see Bam as he gathered as much shinsu as he could into one Baang, shooting it straight down the throat of the Bull, and killing it with that one impressive blow.

The bubble around Bam and Rachel was almost at the mouth of the goby dolphin Queen.

Leona breathed a sigh of relief. It almost felt as though she'd worried over nothing. She was about to turn back when—

Although she'd predicted a betrayal, she never expected this. All those hopes that it wouldn't be true, all those pleas to spare Bam the hurt... They were wasted. Before her eyes, Rachel stood. Something that shouldn't have been possible.

And she pushed Bam off the platform without hesitation – left him to sink into the darkness as she rose into the light alone.

"Bam!" Leona cried. Not that he could hear her. She immediately went after him, but he was far, too far, and he was descending fast. She spared a burning glare for Rachel as she passed by, and when their eyes met, the rage in her was lit anew.

But she couldn't waste energy of that wretched girl, not right now. Your turn will come. Just you wait.

Leona plummeted into the depths after her dear friend.

Author's Note

Just an epilogue left to wrap up this season. If it turns out too long I might split it into two, though.

WARNING! The next two chapters will include spoilers up to Season 2, Chapter 28 of the manhwa/webtoon.

Commentary Corner

Let's talk about Rachel— Ahem, pardon, I mean Roachel.

One of the things I simply don't understand about her, is that she managed to instil some really good values in Bam, but she never abides by them herself. It's like she knows what she's doing is wrong, but still convinces herself that she's somehow justified.

I think one of the things that sets her apart from regular antagonists is that she doesn't hate Bam (as far as I can tell). She's envious of him, and thinks of him as a hindrance, but on some level she used to care about him. That's what makes her betrayal so much worse. It's easy to shut your conscience against people you hate. But someone you practically raised?

So, like many others, I hate her guts.

Which means kudos to SIU for a job well done.