For a moment, silence reigned in the alley.

Their "threat" still hung in the air—if you could even call it a threat—and the three simply looked at each other, as if trying to confirm they'd all understood correctly.

And then... Sylphie let out the first shot.

"Pfffff... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She doubled over, clutching her stomach, nearly losing her balance. "You... you are... my God... HAHAHAHAHAA!"

Irelia's eyes widened for a second, then let out a slow, almost feline laugh, which grew into a deep, teasing cackle. "Heh... heh... HAH... HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!"

Amélia, who usually remained more serious, tried to cover her mouth, but failed. A muffled giggle escaped, "hihihihi," and soon turned into a full-blown fit. "HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIIIII! AAAAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The sound echoed through the narrow alley, bouncing off the walls.

"I…" Sylphie took a deep breath, but tears were already welling up in her eyes from laughing so hard. "I almost didn't feel your aura coming! I thought it was a breeze passing by! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Breeze?" Irelia threw her head back, laughing even louder. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I thought it was a rat running down the alley!"

"No…" Amelia wiped away a tear and bit her lip, trying to contain her laughter. "A rat at least has presence! HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI!"

The four men stood still for a second, unsure how to react. But as the laughter continued, their faces began to flush with anger.

"What the hell are you laughing at?!" the leader roared, trying to break free.

Sylphie took a step forward, nearly tripping with laughter. "HAHAHAHAHA! Look... if you were any weaker, I'd think you were ghosts trying to scare a child!"

Irelia tapped her blade lightly on her shoulder, still cackling. "HAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! My God... I don't even smell danger coming from you!"

Amélia twirled her staff and winked at the leader, her smile venomous. "If you were food, you wouldn't even be able to season it... HIHIHIHIHI!"

The limping man took a furious step forward. "Stop this crap!"

This only made it worse.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sylphie nearly fell to her knees, bracing her hand against the wall. "They told us to stop! They think they're in charge! Men are so pathetic!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Irelia wiped the corner of her mouth, but she couldn't stop laughing. "Yeah... it's like watching a five-year-old threaten a dragon!"

Amélia took a deep breath, but her laughter came back sharper. "HIHIHIHIHIHIHI! HAAHAHAHAHAA!"

The leader was shaking, but not with fear—it was pure fury. The veins bulged at his temple. "I'm going to..."

"Going to what?" Sylphie interrupted, tilting her head and smiling mischievously. "Make an effort to be a little relevant?"

"Going to call for backup?" Irelia stepped aside, looking him up and down like a wet dog. "Hopefully they're stronger... otherwise it'll be another comedy show. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Amélia moved closer, still laughing. "If more like you come, we won't even notice."

"PFFFT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sylphie slapped her hand on her thigh. "I... I can't take it!"

The men tried to advance, but Sylphie's ethereal chains tightened, pulling them back tightly. The sound of magical metal vibrating cut through the air.

The limping man grunted, trying to free himself. "You'll regret this!"

Irelia smiled, and her laughter grew quieter, more menacing. "Heh... heh... heh... No, dear. The one who'll regret this... is you."

Amélia bit her lower lip, trying to contain another wave of laughter. "But before that, let me enjoy this moment... HIHIHIHIHIHIHI!"

Sylphie leaned in until she was face-to-face with the leader, the smile still on her lips. "I'll remember that 'threat' for a long time. Thanks for the joke today."

The alley seemed smaller, suffocating, and yet the sound of the three women's laughter filled everything.

The leader growled. "Let us go and let's see who..."

"No," Irelia cut in sharply, but with a slight heh at the end. "I like you there, on the ground, trying to look dangerous."

Amélia blinked again, as if in farewell. "Enjoy being alive. It's the most generous gift you'll receive today."

Sylphie, unhurriedly, undid the chains. The four of them fell heavily to the ground, "THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!" letting out low groans.

And, as if nothing had happened, the three of them turned and began walking, still laughing.

The four men, panting and grinding their teeth, looked at each other. Their anger had already replaced any trace of caution. The leader—the one who had uttered the most pompous threats—managed to free himself first, pulling the cheap iron blade from his belt.

"The clowning is over!" he roared, advancing with heavy steps.

Irelia was closest. She didn't even move at first, just twisted slightly, letting her hips fall to the side, as if giving him space. When he raised his sword in an awkward arc, she sighed.

The next instant, the sharp sound of pure steel echoed through the alley.

SHHHK—

A clean, diagonal cut, from bottom to top.

His body stopped mid-swing, his eyes still wide, as if he hadn't understood. Then... SCHLUK! His torso slid away, separating from his waist, and the two halves fell to the ground with a grotesque THUD! SPLASH!

The smell of warm blood spread quickly, mingling with the humid air of the alley.

Irelia spun her sword, letting blood splatter on the ground, and looked up at the other three. Her smile was cold.

"You asked for it."

The second man screamed and ran, trying to seize the moment for a surprise attack. Amelia raised her hand, and a beam of blue energy manifested in the air, condensing into a spike of pure ice magic.

"Pierce."

The projectile pierced the man's abdomen with a FWOOSH! and exited through his back, taking with it a piece of his spine. He fell to his knees, his hands clutching at the viscera that was already beginning to ooze out. His scream was muffled by Amelia's boot crushing his throat with a dry CRACK!

"Too weak," she muttered, calmly withdrawing her foot.

The third man tried to retreat, but Sylphie had already moved. The ethereal chains she conjured took shape, erupting from his arms like glowing serpents. They wrapped around his arms and legs with a metallic CHINK! CHINK!

He began to scream.

"Let go! LET GO!"

Sylphie smiled, and the chains began to tighten, breaking bones and crushing muscles. A cracking sound echoed, followed by desperate howls.

"Do you enjoy threatening women?" she asked, pulling even harder. "Because today you will learn what pain is."

With a sudden movement, she yanked the chains in opposite directions. His body was torn apart—arms ripped from his shoulders with a wet SHRRRK!, while his legs separated from his torso in a spray of blood.

The latter, trembling, dropped the weapon and fell to his knees. "P-please... no..."

Irelia looked at him, then at Amelia and Sylphie. "Who wants to?"

Amelia stepped forward. The tip of her staff glowed with incandescent energy. "Me."

She pressed the staff against his chest. He began to scream even before the spell was cast, but it was useless.

"Freeze."

A cold flame that didn't burn him from the outside—it exploded from the inside out, making his body swell like a wineskin and splitting his skin into dozens of fiery fissures. His scream became a hoarse, guttural sound before he fell dead, his face frozen in a final spasm of pain.

The alley was silent now, except for the slow, rhythmic sound of blood dripping onto the ground.

Sylphie wiped her hands, still wearing a satisfied little smile. "Pathetic."

Irelia twirled her sword before sheathing it. "I told you it would be quick."

Amelia looked at the bodies, then at her friends. "And painful."

The alley was left behind, swallowed by silence and the smell of blood. Their boots stamped firmly on the cobblestone street, while the few onlookers peering through the windows quickly closed the curtains.

Sylphie ran a finger across her neck, wiping away a drop of blood that had splattered. "Well... at least now I know how easy it is to break the bones of such weak people." She snapped her fingers, satisfied.

"You look happy," Irelia commented, adjusting the scabbard of her sword at her hip.

"It's not happiness..." Sylphie smirked. "It's just... warmth."

Amelia said nothing, simply adjusting her blue cloak over her shoulders. The staff still emanated a residual heat, but she made it disappear in a beam of purple light, as if she were simply putting away a kitchen tool.

The stares on the street were inevitable. Irelia, her white and gold outfit gleaming in the sunlight, looked like a heroine out of legend—or, to those who had seen what had happened in the alley, a predator who had just hunted. Amelia, with her low-cut dress and impassive demeanor, exuded a kind of danger that didn't need to be shouted. And Sylphie... well, a dark elf with a gun and that mischievous smile always left a trace of suspicion.

"Okay, so..." Sylphie broke the silence. "Our dear redhead is here in Arvalen, and the only solid clue we have is that he was at the Freedom Guild."

"And that he put on quite a show there," Amelia added.

Irelia arched a golden eyebrow. "A show that, apparently, ended in a corpse."

"Just like him." Sylphie chuckled softly. "Anyway, shall we go after the tavern now? I want to find him soon."

"Yes, let's go."