Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 251: Arc 4, Act II, - 96: Ensnared

Fading chestnut hair loosely done up with many loose strands hanging. Equal in height to Asobi, a pointed nose and mesmerizingly pink eyes.

Her skin a pale tan—an angular face. Clothes that resembled the Trailonian assassins she wore, however it was more fitted and in hues of dark pinks and brownish-blacks. Her hands came together-

"HYA!" Daiyu swung her greatsword forward. "CRASH!" It passed through the unfazed woman and broke through the table. All the soldiers readied their guns.

"Hold," Dread lifted her hand and looked to the soldiers.

Water formed at the tips of her fingers, forming into claws, "Why don’t you show yourself," Hotaru’s tail spiked like the thorns of a crimson cactus, hear ears alert while Asobi stood closely behind, observing the change in where they stood.

There seemed to be no exit present, the surrounding tent all gone. The soldiers, the equipment and them were all that remained in this new pinkish space.

Feyan had similar claws made of shadows, Arabella unsheathed her sabre and readied it to her side. "That wouldn’t be befitting of the most chicken of the elites now, would it?" Dread glazed her eyes over to the brunette.

Fumeko held her dagger tight... She glared back. If the detective was just one more step ahead she could’ve-

"Could’ve what? Thrown your dagger? Scream something was suspicious? You were just a few seconds too late to figure it out Namora," Dread finished Fumeko’s thought.

"Even so, from the moment you arrived everything was already going to plan," the Psyching Dread continued.

Jotou’s blade sparked, "I’ve beat you before and I can do it again. But mind evil villain monologuing why those soldiers haven’t shot yet?"

"Beat me before? Had me stumped, maybe."

"Not by my count," Hotaru halted. "And I’ve beat you too."

"Like an old couple quarrelling months after an argument only to bring it up again. Your father’s dead, no point in resenting me now, it’s not going to bring him back," Dread hummed shaking her head.

"You-!"

"Hotaru," Jotou put a hand up.

The redhead switched her sight and paused, lowering the claw she raised. She reserved her temper, while the blonde pouted. ’It’s not like we can attack her anyway right now.’

Daiyu took her sword out and glared with a scrunched face. "What a befitting look for a princess..." Dread remarked before looking to Hotaru, "Worried she might think of you a fool is it?" she pointed a hand to Jotou.

Hotaru growled lightly. "I’d suggest you say what you want to say Dread," Jotou replied.

"Yeah, not like you’re gonna talk this out. So get it over with," Daiyu half-closed her right eye.

"Well, that’s the thing," she sighed, her age maybe in her late thirties. She began walking, "I have very, complicated, orders. Open firing is going to lead to unwanted shots.

I heard Gale’s already dead. I’m not intending to follow his path. Some of you are worth more to Trailon, alive. I’m happy for the other some to die right here, but these troops around me are shaking in their boots.

All afraid of what the Thundering Blade can do. The sound of thunder itself’s already ringing in their heads. I’m not trusting them to have the aim to shoot the right ones.

So," Dread had paced around the space, the soldiers seeming to not like her statement, but were not going to protest either... "I give you the option to surrender.

I’m sure you heard your allies screaming and babbling from their confines. Either we take you there with your faculties in check or take you there a little less than sane."

"Are you stupid or something? We know how to resist you, if you haven’t figured that out," Fumeko raised her dagger.

Dread held the bridge of her nose, "The brain is such, an emotionally fragile organ... Logic and reasoning sometimes gets defied out of pure sentiment.

How much prodding and poking do you think your brain could take? Do you really want to find out? My magic was so limited casting through those tiny red crystals. Are you really going to test what I can- Ugh!"

Jotou slashed her blade across Dread’s head, fazing through her lips.

"What do you-!"

Jotou slashed again, her lips tightened and blade still sparking. The soldiers looked at one another, waiting for orders to fire.

Dread’s eyes bubbled and brows creased, "Are you already insane-!?"

Jotou just slashed again with little to no effort behind her swings. Daiyu gave a small snort. "Maybe," Jotou shrugged one shoulder and slashed again. "She’s the psychopath though," her thumb pointed to Daiyu behind her.

Asobi let out one small giggle, one side of Fumeko’s lips raised and even Hotaru cracked a smile. Arabella rolled her eyes, counting the soldiers. Feyan on the other hand, questioned all his life decisions.

Jotou stopped swinging and stared Dread down, "What do you think’s gonna happen? We’re just gonna go along with your little plan? I appreciate the attempt.

I know you can’t read my fears or my thoughts. Hell, what’s going on in here’s an enigma to even me. I’m more interested in what you fear, huh?

Death?" Jotou tilted her head whilst Dread simply stared. "Loss? Returning to Trailon empty handed after we win here and you escape like a coward thanks to your illusions?

Maybe your own thoughts? The voices that just creep in, everyone’s negative thoughts filling your head like a hive of bees, slowly eating away at your own sanity?"

Dread’s eye twitched. Fumeko peered through Jotou’s attempt at a distraction and glanced around without shifting her head. There must be a way out; a way to solve their situation. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Dread must be somewhere close, there’s no chance she was doing it remotely; Dread said so herself, no tiny red crystal acting as a conduit. Her eyes calculated... then darted to Daiyu.

"It must be so vexing~ Going on with your life, knowing the torments and traumas of everyone around you only for someone like me to pop up and create the biggest barrier for you."

Asobi’s lips barely moved as she whispered, "Aru, don’t move..." Hotaru’s ear flickered to the noise and stood still. A couple of part-humans within the soldiers swore they heard something, but that far, it might’ve just been the Thundering Blade’s breath.

Slowly Jotou smirked, "You have no idea what I’m thinking. Does that frustrate you or... does that scare you? Tell me; am I what you fear?"

Dread scoffed to the question, "Are you considering my fear is the unknown?" her eyes checked the entrance, or at least where the entrance of the tent would be.

Light sparkles drifted up Asobi’s form and her heel gently moved back, but there was no heel to be seen; and yet, there was a heel in the position she just moved it away from.

Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, Asobi went invisible as she stepped back, leaving a likeness of her where she stood. She carefully crafted the light around her and stepped away, gaining free reign to move unseen.

"Have you seen what electricity can do to bodies? Or what thunder does when directed at close range to a person?"

Daiyu stared and smiled to the show before her. How was Fumeko supposed to get her attention to signal a plan? There was no chance, any sudden movements would make Dread take notice.

"No chance?" Dread took notice of Fumeko’s hopeless thought and turned to her.

"Shit!" Fumeko grunted.

Hotaru’s ears pricked, peering around in worry for Asobi. Dread turned to Hotaru, "The elf’s gone missing, they’re doing something, find her, kill her on sight!"

The soldiers glanced around and then to the illusion. "BLAST!" A rifle fired off right behind Hotaru, causing her to flinch and duck. The bullet went into the side of the pinkish surface and pierced out the tent.

"Have it your way then," the illusion of Dread disappeared.

"Daiyu! Foot! Find Dread!" Fumeko exclaimed before she disappeared into shadow.

Daiyu raised a brow to the command, "Oh!" she got it and lifted her greatsword.

Jotou raised her blade, "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

"You know your orders, kill everyone except those three!" Dread’s voice came from all around. The soldiers had their eyes already trained on Hotaru, Feyan and Arabella.

"Quake!" Daiyu stomped her foot down. "Grr...rrrBR... Br..." The loose rocks and stones rumbled alongside the soldiers who lost their balance. Her other foot tapped and searched, "Ugh! No luck here! She needs to say something!"

"Tsss..."

"GAHH!" "WHAT THE HELL!?"

"I’m sorry! You tried to kill me first..." Asobi’s voice apologized as a butterfly seared through and across a few soldiers through the necks.

"BLAST!" "BLAST!" "BLAST!" Wildly they fired. "P-ting!" Jotou raised her blade to cover her head. Meanwhile a bullet ’hit’ Daiyu and fell, appearing to make no damage as the princess grinned to the one who shot her.

"Don’t shoot them!" the disembodied voice echoed.

Feyan caught the soldier nearest to him around the neck and used the soldier as a shield as he siphoned his life force, digging the claws in to draw blood.

"Swish!" The ash from Arabella’s eye whipped forth and swirled around a fired bullet and forced it’s momentum to shift. "Sck!" The bullet whizzed past her cheek in a little cut.

"Need a statement, not an order!" Daiyu shouted as she lifted her greatsword and—"SLASH!"—sliced right through the clavicle of a soldier before kicking him in the chest and driving the blade down to his shoulder.

Every bullet fired was aimed away from her, focusing on a specific three. Jotou peered around and launched her blade forth with sparks and zaps, ending the life of a couple.

"BLAST!" "Ngh!" Hotaru ducked out of the way, but winced feeling a burning sensation over the tip of her ear that was shot. "Ow!!" she gritted her teeth and rushed forward, slashing the watery claws across the one who shot her.

"Bastard!" Hotaru swiped and swiped, across the uniform, across the neck, drawing blood and grunts from the soldier.

The water trickled back into her own wrist and the little piece of her right ear that was shot off began healing itself. With every swipe, the next one would strike harder.

Soldiers around her aimed their rifle towards her, but a shadow appeared, slashing a gleaming purple dagger across one’s neck and startling the other; the other was only alive for perhaps another second before the same dagger pierced through the back of her neck.

"She was at the exit before, she’s left the area I think!" Jotou pointed, killing off the last soldier in sight. ’She kept an eye on the entrance of the tent at the very least.’

Fumeko poofed back into the pink space, "I’ll go!"

Feyan rushed to Arabella to heal the small slash across her cheek. Hotaru merely panted, staring down the fallen body that had claw marks all over with her ear completely fine.

"We need to be careful!" the invisible Asobi told. "I’ll make everyone invisible first."

"Ugh, useless as expected. No matter, everything else is in place," the voice returned. Pinkish light whipped up from where everyone stood like tentacles.

"Hey!" Fumeko blinked out of the way, but seemingly it was no use as her eyes were clouded in pinkish-black darkness. Jotou attempted to slash, only to realize it was an illusion and it had no effect.

Daiyu stuck her foot down, only to be engulfed. A pinkish light surrounded an invisible form, identifying Asobi’s location and enshrouded her as well, "Ahhh!"

The other three tried to dodge or move, but the illusion showed no concern as it caught all of them as well. Caught in a pinkish-black darkness, images began to appear for some...