The air vibrated with terrifying force as Laticia's chain whips slashed part of the collapsing flooring, causing the rubble to break apart. Malikar and Clara dodged to each side in accordance.
*I see, so those chains of hers pack quite a bit of damage—strong enough to tear through rocks, bricks, and concrete… I wonder if they're made of…* Clara's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Malikar flashed toward her, slashing with his blade.
Clara twisted her heel in response and bent back to dodge the sword slash, some of her bangs being sliced as her hair follicles fell.
"Even if we got a common enemy, I'd be disgraced if I worked with a criminal, ya know? So be prepared, sweetheart," Malikar said with a smug smile.
Seeing this, Laticia grinned maniacally before flashing forward. "THEN YOU BOTH CAN DIE!!!" she shouted as she twisted in mid-air, her chain whips whirling forward and slashing apart part of the flooring.
Clara's eyes widened as an entire chunk of the uneven roof broke apart, dust clouds erupting. She could only hear rampant laughter from Laticia as a red blur flashed past her. Laticia dashed toward Malikar and swung her chains. Malikar twisted the hilt of his blade before engaging in a series of parries as he clashed with the chains and twisted through them.
*Not good… can't close the distance,* Malikar thought as he blew out smoke from his cigarette.
"Ohhh?! What's the matter?! Aren't you the strongest in the navy?!!" Laticia taunted, her scarlet hair flowing.
Her arrogance lasted a minute as suddenly, Clara flashed in front, with visible fury and rage. Her Mark of the Martial Artist glowed its brightest red as a scarlet transparent aura encompassed her.
"Moesakaru ikari!! (Fiery Fury)!" she shouted, naming her technique as she unleashed a relentless barrage of punches on Laticia.
Laticia coughed blood and saliva as it hit her stomach. She moved her chains but was overwhelmed as Clara's fists collided with hers, shattering her wrist and breaking her right arm.
"ARGHHHAA!" she shouted in agony, but Clara showed no mercy as she continued pummeling Laticia.
Laticia could feel her body overheating. *What the hell?! I.. I can't MOVE!! And why?! Why do her fists feel so… hot!* she thought, her eyes widening in shock as suddenly, parts of her body set on fire before Clara kicked her. She crashed into collapsed rubble, forming a small explosion.
Behind them, Malikar stood about ten metres away with a shocked expression, a sweat bead going down his cheek as he spat out his cigarette. *What a fuckin' monster. So that's the power of Diamond Fist Clara,* he thought before a smirk plastered on his face. *I guess I can't afford to hold back, aye?*
Out of the broken rubble that made up the quartz roof of the Auction Hall, Laticia crawled out, wincing, a deranged angry expression as her face contorted. Her red sweatshirt had multiple holes, and parts of it were blackened from flames. Part of her breasts could now be seen. Multiple huge bruises and bloodied wounds plastered her torso, as well as blood trickling down her face.
"How… how… HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?!!! YOU WHORE!!!! TAKE HER! Chains of Subjugation!!" Laticia aggressively shouted as the Mark of the Enslaver on her neck glowed a brighter red.
Suddenly, three chain-like tentacles emerged from her mark. They were tinted red but appeared transparent. She coughed more blood and struggled to stand as they erupted toward Clara. Clara jumped high as they blitzed past her feet, twisting in the air before flashing toward Laticia.
"N-NO!" Laticia struggled.
"This is a mere fraction... of the rage the Marked Mercenaries feel… Laticia Sendorlitch. For the sake of dark justice, and to avenge Mr. Kran, you will die here… you worthless whore… This is what we call resolve—resolve to destroy you," Clara coldly said.
Her eyes focused with the deadly precision of a killer as she aimed for a one-inch punch to skewer Laticia's throat. But she blinked as she suddenly heard, "Spread, Gladius qui Serpit," from Malikar's voice behind her.
Suddenly, multiple white dots from small sharp individual pieces from Malikar's blade scattered as the swarm sped toward Clara, grinding through rubble.
"!" Clara gasped as she dashed back, the swarm of minuscule blades rushing past, managing to make a few dozen cuts on her left leg as she grit her teeth, blood spraying out.
"Sorry, but the government needs her head more. And besides, what kind of navyman would I be if I relied on a Marked Mercenary to win my battle?" Malikar said as he stepped forward.
Clara blinked as she noted how he was just carrying the hilt and handle of his sword, but the blade itself was suddenly missing. She looked back to see the flying swarm of minuscule blades, her eyes narrowing as she understood.
Clara gazed at Laticia's beaten, kneeling form, still struggling to recover, before shifting her gaze toward Malikar. "So the rumors were true. You wield one of the twenty great scientific weapons from the Age of Discovery," she said.
Malikar smirked lazily before walking forward, his military robes flowing with the symbol of Cryohara, the shining blade swarm retreating back to him. "Bingo. And not just any one either—the Gladius qui Serpit," Malikar replied before holding up the handle. "A sword that has the ability to split its blade into a million pieces that shred and swarm any," he continued.
Clara didn't even respond before the ground beneath her cracked and shattered as she dashed forward with blinding speed, whipping a swift kick aimed for the side of Malikar's stomach.
"Tck!" Malikar winced and swung his handle as he pivoted. The swarm of blades rained down, causing Clara to pivot and dodge, swerving away. She planted her foot down as the veins on her forehead bulged as she breathed.
In an instant, Clara dashed forward. The swarm rushed to her in response, but she swiftly ducked under, scraping a few cuts on her back. Her right index finger and right middle finger pointed toward Malikar as she aimed for his vital points in her attack. But before she could execute them, suddenly Malikar appeared behind her, spin-kicking her back and knocking her down, causing a small crater.
"Don't underestimate me just 'cause I ain't a Marked One like you," he said.
However, Clara immediately dashed out of the dust cloud caused from her crash, her eyes focused on him. *I don't understand. How can a regular human move so fast? And how did his kick manage to knock me down… what kind of training did this laid-back failure of a military captain endure?* she pondered.
The swarm of the Gladius qui Serpit shredded through rubble and destroyed part of the roof as Clara evaded, looking for openings while being mindful of her own cuts. As the two continued their fight, Laticia struggled from not too far away on the roof as she coughed blood. Gripping broken quartz, she tried to stand but failed, collapsing down.
*Dammit… she went for my pressure points…* she thought, but suddenly a terrifying smile plastered on her face as she readjusted her arm. A break could be heard before she could move it again.
"Hahahaha… that was fun… but now it's time to show you fools what happens when you mess with someone who might as well be god!" Laticia yelled, watching Clara face Malikar.
Her Mark of the Enslaver glowed but started to contort and shake. Her wounds and broken bones caused by Clara began to heal faster as smoke from excess body heat blew out from them. The blood dried before evaporating; her wounds closed. The strange occurrence caused Malikar and Clara to stop as they both looked back in surprise.
*I sense so much energy… could it be… Laticia…* Clara thought with a genuinely concerned expression.
*This could get ugly… fuck, I don't get paid enough for this,* Malikar thought as he watched Laticia recover, his expression uncharacteristically serious.
Clara immediately dashed forward toward Laticia. *Shit! I should have finished her,* she thought.
As the air vibrated with her speed, she aimed a decisive fist to smash Laticia's skull. But suddenly, her fist failed to connect. Clara blinked before noticing what happened. Her expression contorted in shock as she pulled back and winced. Her right wrist and hand had been severed in a flash by Laticia's chains. Blood spilled on Laticia from the infliction as she looked up with a crazed smile, her wounds fully recovered.
"Wrong move, dearyyy~" she taunted before leaping forward, wildly swinging her chains.
"AHHH!" Clara shouted in pain as she jumped. Acting quickly, she tore part of her kimono and wrapped her wrist, which spilled blood where her hand used to be.
*What the hell?! Her wounds already regenerated? There's no way, even for a Marked One,* Malikar thought as he flashed behind Laticia, swinging his handle. The blade swarm heeded his command as it twisted and slithered like a snake, aiming for Laticia.
"YOU WANNA BE MY PLAYTHING TOO?!?!" Laticia taunted, her scarlet hair fiery as she twirled her chains around before whipping Malikar's left knee in a flash. The swarm stopped too as a result.
"Graaah!" Malikar groaned in pain as he could feel his kneecap shatter and shred. Scarlet blood gushed out from the messy cut on his knee as he tripped and slammed into the ground.
Clara, who was still trying to calm herself after the loss of her right hand and remind herself that it would regenerate because of her status as a Marked One, struggled up as she saw the exchange. Her eyes widened in shock.
*Even the most passionate of Marked Ones would take at least two hours to regenerate those wounds I inflicted. So how… was she able to recover in such short time? What's more… her overall power has increased… I can sense the energy from her Passion Mark overflowing. It's driving her even further into madness,* she thought.
Laticia glared at her with a smile. "Now that he's dealt with, it's your turn! Clara dear!" she declared.
Five long, transparent chains of subjugation erupted from her back and plunged into the floor as she was held up, her legs leaving the flooring of the destroyed roof.
"You and your associates have already ruined my plans for the auction! So take this as payback!!" she proclaimed as she raised her arms.
Clara could feel a suffocating chill and presence as she heard footsteps. From the walls of the auction hall, slaves in hiding climbed out, each making lifeless, aggressive sounds and drooling. Their eyes were darkened, their souls overtaken. The collars on their necks glowed as they crawled and walked onto the roof, past Laticia, toward Clara, holding pistols, saws, weapons for killing—something they were clearly forced into.
Clara grit her teeth, her anger rising. "WHAT IS THIS?!" she demanded.
Laticia merely mockingly laughed in response. "My slaves, obviously! I had them in hiding in case I needed them. Good thing I did! So tell me—can you sacrifice the lives of these oh-so-innocent victims just to kill me?! WELL?! What'll win?! Your warped sense of justice or my overwhelming passion for enslaving others?!" Laticia maniacally taunted with laughter.
Clara stepped back. She could see it in their expressions—innocent people with lives, families. Their voices banged in her head past their lifeless, puppeteered shells, all saying the same thing: "Save us." It rang a thousand times in Clara's head as she shook. For an instant, she saw an image of herself among the crowd of the enslaved, bound by chains and forced to obey Laticia, reduced to cattle. It was suffocating.
*Why… did Master Yura assign such a mission… this… is hell,* Clara thought, her knees giving way as the slaves closed in on her, acting on Laticia's will.
Laticia merely laughed. "Yes! That's it! You're all mine! All! For I am a god! HAHAHAHA!"