"…Ugh… it hurts… what just happened…"
After regaining consciousness, Kiana looked at the wrecked street and Ji Ran lying on the ground—
and immediately panicked.
"Ji Ran! What happened to you?!"
"Who did this to you?!"
"…Don't ask. Just get me out of here."
Seeing Zank's breathing growing weaker, Ji Ran forced himself up and walked toward him.
"…Heh… what bad luck…"
"To run into two lunatics like you…"
Zank looked at the confused Kiana and gave a twisted smile.
"Especially you, girl… I didn't expect—"
"Shut up!"
"You're about to die and still talking nonsense?!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Using his remaining strength—
Ji Ran smashed Zank's head into an unrecognizable mess.
Then he stored both the bat and the Imperial Arm [Spectator].
"Ji Ran… what did he just—"
"Forget it. Just take me and go."
"…Damn."
"Just holding this Imperial Arm drains my mental energy…"
"So tired…"
"…I think I'm going to—"
Before he could finish—
Ji Ran passed out.
Kiana ignored her own pain and quickly supported him.
At first, she tried to carry him under her arm—
but after a moment, she sighed and shifted him onto her back.
Then she ran.
"…Seriously, what just happened?"
"Why do my face and body hurt so much…"
"And earlier… I think I saw that idiot old man…"
"But something felt off…"
"…No way."
"…Am I actually missing him?"
"Pfft! As if!"
Thinking about her father, who had disappeared for four years—
Kiana scoffed.
"A dad who abandons his daughter for four years—why would I miss him?!"
"I'll just ask Ji Ran later what happened…"
"And…"
She looked ahead, expression turning serious.
"This world is way more dangerous than I thought."
Before this—
she treated everything like a game.
Even though Ji Ran:
prepared her clothesgave her a weaponstrengthened her defense
She still wasn't taking things seriously.
Because she believed—
with her Kaslana strength plus his support—
she'd be fine.
But Zank—
taught her a lesson.
His weapons weren't even impressive—
just standard blades.
Yet—
with strange abilities and skill—
he nearly overwhelmed both of them.
And if Ji Ran hadn't tackled her earlier—
she might've been cut open already.
Zank's precision was terrifying.
Even after Ji Ran intervened—
he still managed to adjust his attack mid-strike—
and cut Ji Ran's neck.
If it had been any deeper—
Ji Ran might've died from blood loss.
"…I'm too weak."
"If I were as strong as that idiot old man…"
"Ji Ran wouldn't have gotten hurt like this."
"If even a murderer with a strange weapon can nearly kill me…"
"How can I protect others in my own world?"
At that moment—
something changed inside her.
"I need to become stronger."
"For the honor of the Kaslana family…"
"To protect others…"
"To protect Mei…"
"And…"
She tightened her grip.
"…to protect Ji Ran."
"I will become stronger."
A Few Minutes Later – Lower District of the Imperial Capital
After arriving at the scene, Oka, captain of the guard, looked at Zank's mangled corpse with disgust.
"Take him away."
"Based on his weapons and appearance, he's most likely Zank."
"But we need to confirm his identity."
Calling Oka a responsible captain would be a joke.
He was corrupt—
took bribes—
abused power regularly.
Everyone in the guard knew it—
except his disciple, Seryu.
But Oka didn't care.
Profit was all that mattered.
The only reason he was serious this time—
was because Zank had gone too far.
The higher-ups were pressuring him.
"Captain Oka!"
Seryu, observing the surroundings, spoke:
"The destruction here isn't something ordinary people could cause."
"Yeah."
"And Zank's Imperial Arm isn't that destructive."
"That means the one who killed him…"
"…is someone powerful."
Looking at a bounty poster drifting among the debris—
Oka grinned, revealing sharp teeth.
"Night Raid…"
"…Looks like we finally caught your trail."