"What a lively scene this is."
The sudden voice drew the attention of every Deep Pool member who had been preparing to act. In unison, they turned toward the sound—and saw a handsome black-haired youth who had appeared at some point. Immediately, a glint of wariness flashed in their eyes.
Only two among them—the green-haired Feline and the golden-haired Drach—reacted differently. The green-haired Feline's pupils contracted sharply the moment she saw him, and she gripped her staff tightly.
As for the Drach—likely Reed—she stood still with an unchanged expression, as if she hadn't even seen the newcomer.
"That must be Reed... Speaking of which, what kind of sister turns her sibling into this? She's one of the only three Drach left..." Daniel Davis shook his head inwardly as he glanced at the silent Reed.
"Who are you?" asked the black-haired Feline—none other than the infamous scumbag cat, Mandragora. Like the green-haired Feline, she too was gripping her staff tightly.
"She might actually improve her Originium Arts if she spent some time training with Mudrock," Daniel mused as he replied aloud, "Who I am? Maybe you should ask the one standing next to you."
He was referring, of course, to the green-haired Feline—Akhmoni. Daniel had already learned the structure of Deep Pool's leadership from Hill, the adjutant.
"Who is he?" Mandragora turned to Akhmoni.
"This doesn't concern you, does it?" Akhmoni didn't answer Mandragora. Her eyes remained fixed on Daniel. As she spoke, she subtly raised her hand to signal the six standing across from her.
"Just returning the favor—you already sent someone to visit me. How could I not return the gesture?" Daniel's words referred to Deep Pool's previous attempt to send spies to Che City to investigate Talulah.
Akhmoni fell silent. It was perfectly reasonable for Deep Pool to gather intel on Talulah. With the Aslan bloodline presumed extinct, the Drach were natural enemies vying for Victoria's throne.
But she hadn't expected Che City's strength to be so overwhelming. Before Daniel's involvement, Talulah's Integration Movement had been no match for Deep Pool. But after Daniel's display of power—the destruction of the Scar Market, the deaths of multiple Grand Dukes—Deep Pool understood Talulah's true backing.
"I said, who is he?!" Mandragora shouted when Akhmoni continued to ignore her.
"We can cooperate," Akhmoni finally said, lifting her hand slightly to silence Mandragora.
"Cooperate?" Daniel looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected such a proposal, though he had to admit it wasn't a bad idea—if Talulah and Reed shared similar goals.
"It's a solid proposal," he said. "But Victoria's throne can only belong to one."
Two Red Dragons. One throne. Peaceful coexistence was impossible. If it were the Aslan line, maybe—there was precedent. But not for them.
"That's easy. Let them fight for it themselves," Akhmoni replied without hesitation, clearly prepared for this objection. And it was, admittedly, a fair solution.
"You're with Talulah."
Mandragora finally caught on, raising her left hand and unleashing an Originium Art toward Daniel.
Her loyalty to Reed was absolute. She would never allow anyone to challenge her leader's position. Ironically, Reed's own sister saw her as nothing more than a disposable pawn. In some ways, Reed's sister was more scummy than Mandragora herself.
"Your proposal's fine, but I'm afraid Deep Pool lacks the qualifications to work with us. Just looking at the people you've chosen makes it clear—your leader is nothing more than a failure. What right does she have to be compared to Talulah?"
Theresis had said much the same: Reed's sister was no match for Talulah. Deep Pool resembled a terrorist group far more than a liberation movement.
"You're dead."
Mandragora was already angry that her Arts hadn't worked earlier. Now, hearing Daniel insult her revered leader pushed her over the edge. She unleashed her Arts again.
But with just a movement of Daniel's foot, her Originium Arts collapsed before they could even activate. Specifically, her ground spikes never pierced his soles.
"Die!"
Seeing her spell fail, Mandragora swung her staff. The ground before her heaved, and a towering stone golem over three meters tall emerged.
"She might be scum, but she's skilled. To have mastered Sarkaz Arts to this extent through self-study..." Daniel murmured, watching the golem charge at him.
He stepped left to avoid a sudden axe swing from one of the previously silent six—a massive brute wielding a great axe.
The bandit.
Of the six, he was the only one who didn't use Originium Arts—and the only one who had attacked so far. The others merely observed.
"What?!" the bandit exclaimed as Daniel caught the axe blade between two fingers. The man prided himself on his strength.
Clearly, Daniel wasn't someone he could match. Though brash, the bandit wasn't foolish. He immediately tried to release the axe and retreat—but found that his hands were stuck, as if glued to the weapon.
The next thing he knew, his body was flying—hurtling straight at the stone golem.
Boom.
Mandragora, showing no hesitation, ordered the golem to strike the incoming target. With a sickening crack and a howl of agony, the bandit was sent flying over ten meters. From the sound of breaking bones alone, it was clear—he was finished.
Having smashed the bandit aside, the golem reached Daniel and raised its massive fist, swinging it at his head with a howling gust of wind.
"Room. Slaughterhouse."
Still holding the bandit's axe in his left hand, Daniel chuckled. As the golem's fist came down, he vanished. In his place stood one of the remaining five—swapped in an instant.
There was no time to react—no time to scream. The unfortunate man could only watch in terror as the golem's fist slammed into him.
Boom! A massive crater formed in the ground, and the man was gone—reduced to paste.
"Aaaah!"
Seeing their comrade pulverized and Daniel suddenly appear among them, one of the four remaining panicked and hurled over a dozen vials into the air.
They shattered midair, releasing powders of various colors that rained down on all four of them.
"Alchemist, are you insane?!"
The other three shouted in unison. As comrades, they knew exactly what the alchemist was capable of—which only made them more terrified.
"Aaaaaaah!"
As the powder settled on their skin, they began to scream. Ironically, they had always loved the sound—believing it to be the most beautiful music in the world. Now, it was their turn to sing.
"This is what you call just desserts."
Daniel stood to the side, watching their bodies writhe and twist on the ground. His eyes showed no sympathy. Given the things they'd done, this was a fitting end.
The vials the alchemist had thrown—hurried and unmeasured—contained many lethal compounds. The combination only made it worse. Even the alchemist himself likely didn't know what the mixture would do.
"Don't you think it's time to stop?"
As he spoke, Daniel swung the axe in his left hand, releasing over a dozen arcs of light. The massive golem was immediately sliced apart.
But the ground spikes rose again.
"You're clever. You didn't attack yourself. You didn't make her attack, either. Makes it tricky for me."
This time, Daniel didn't suppress Mandragora's spikes. Instead, he used Soru to reappear behind Akhmoni, placing the axe across her neck.
Seeing Akhmoni caught, Mandragora finally stopped. Though a scumbag in many ways, she cared deeply for those she considered true comrades. The bandit and others clearly didn't count.
"What do you want? Deep Pool?"
Even with a massive axe at her throat, Akhmoni's expression didn't change—completely unafraid that Daniel might lop off her pretty cat head at any moment.
"I have no interest in Deep Pool. I came here for those six, nothing more."
Daniel withdrew the axe, and in a blink appeared beside the still-unmoving Reed. She hadn't reacted at all, even during the battle.
Who knew how her sister had treated her? In the original story, she hadn't even tried to dodge a dirty bomb.
"Oh, and her too."
Still showing no response, Reed remained still as Daniel's axe ignited in his left hand. He flung it toward the four writhing figures. Flames exploded outward, consuming them all.
"Tell your pathetic leader—I'm taking her sister."
As Reed fell unconscious, Daniel picked her up. Just before leaving, he added one more thing.
"Oh, and pass a message to Duke Ironblood Wellington—tell him to hide better. Otherwise, one day, he might just lose his head."
If this whole mess had been orchestrated by Wellington, Daniel wasn't about to let him keep enjoying his title and comforts.
"Damn it!"
Watching Daniel disappear with Reed in his arms, Mandragora screamed and slammed the ground with spikes—dozens of them erupting in a row. It was the first time since mastering her Arts that she'd been so humiliated.
"Save your strength. They're dead. You're all we've got now. The leader is on her way—we must finish this fight before she arrives."
Akhmoni couldn't help but feel lucky. If their plan hadn't been triggered early, their leader might have arrived and gotten swept up too.
In her mind, Daniel had clearly come for Drach—to clear the way for Talulah. She didn't believe for a second that his real target was just those six.
"Understood, leader."
Mandragora refocused her fury on Victoria's soldiers. Even without those six high-ranking officers, Deep Pool was still overwhelming the garrison.
Why? Because there were plenty of Deep Pool spies within the ranks. Many soldiers were killed by their own comrades without warning.
Hill hadn't been the only one.
"…What's this?"
At the Rhodes Island office, the Doctor watched as Daniel returned—carrying a Drach girl in his arms—and couldn't help but feel exasperated.
"She's Deep Pool's puppet leader. I'm leaving her to you."
Daniel briefly explained Reed's situation—her real name, Rafcinni.
"They've been dealt with," he added, turning to Outcast.
"Thank you," she replied.
"Alright, time to go."
As another explosion rang out, it signaled that the battle had resumed. Under Daniel's Mystic Gate, the group returned to Rhodes Island.
Everyone was shocked by the sudden teleportation. But in a world where Originium Arts could explain almost anything, they simply assumed Daniel's Arts were extremely advanced.
"Colonel Hamilton… he truly lived up to the name of Victoria's army. But looks like I don't need to step in."
After sending the Doctor and the others back to Rhodes Island, Daniel returned once more to Little Hill County to observe the battle. In the final moments, Hamilton himself had joined the fight, wielding his saber to buy time for Horn and the others to retreat.
He could have fled, but as the highest-ranking official in Little Hill County, dying in battle was the most honorable end he could choose.
"I wonder if Bagpipe will still go find Chen Hui-jie after this…"
Watching Bagpipe and the others escape from Mandragora, Daniel returned to Che City. In the original plot, Mandragora had actually held the advantage when fighting both Horn and Bagpipe.
But that was because Horn and Bagpipe had fought many battles beforehand. This led some to question Mandragora's strength—especially after her brief clash with Manfred, where she was completely overpowered.
People underestimated Horn's strength. As Victoria's White Wolf, in her prime, she could've taken Mandragora alone.
And the White Wolf was no ordinary Lupo—she was akin to a werewolf. Her ancestor had once earned great renown during the war against Kazdel.
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