ACE OF FATE-Chapter 34: Gummy Bears Assemble!

"Now as for you two," Chiharu said sternly, turning her head with a menacing glare.

[Thud]

She put her foot on the head of the man who had wet himself, slamming it to the ground.

"Where is my pouch?"

"I-I....I....Do....Don't...Kn..ow...know...." The man replied.

"Hmmm...." Chiharu realized that he wasn't lying, as no one could under such immense pressure.

"Then take me to your hideout, now!!" she barked impatiently. "I haven't got all day to waste on your pathetic existence!" she added with a contemptuous sneer.

Felix couldn't help but think, All this for some candy?

[Whoosh]

Yoshito appeared suddenly, bowing slightly as he delivered his message. "It's ready, Guild Master."

Chiharu didn't even glance at him. Instead, she crouched near the man bleeding on the ground, her piercing gaze locking onto him. "Is it close by?" she asked, her voice low but dangerous.

"Y-Y... Yes... It's... just b-below... the brothel..." he managed to choke out between gasps of pain.

Chiharu's lips curled into a faint sneer as she turned her attention to the other man cowering nearby. Her voice was venomous as she barked her next command. "You! Over there! Deliver this message to your pathetic comrades." She leaned forward slightly, her tone dripping with menace. "Tell them Chiharu is coming—and there's nothing they can do to stop me."

The man nodded frantically, his face pale with terror. "Y-Yes... I-I will..." he stuttered before scrambling to his feet and bolting toward the hideout.

Chiharu watched him go with a cold smirk before standing up straight again.

"Nam Nam," Chiharu eat a candy.

"So... can I go now?" he asked casually

[THWUMP!]

Before Felix could react, Yoshito—who had been bowing deeply—lunged forward and grabbed him by the neck, forcing him into a bow as well.

"Hey! You trying to get us stuck wearing fluffy outfits for the rest of our lives?" Yoshito hissed in a panicked whisper.

[GROOOOWL!]

A loud growl erupted from Yoshito's stomach, betraying his hunger after hours without food.

"Pfft... Hahahaha!" Chiharu burst into laughter, pointing at him with mockery in her eyes. "Is the newlywed lady hungry?" she teased between giggles. "Here... have some candy."

"No, ma'am, I'm fine," Yoshito replied hastily, bowing even lower to hide his embarrassment. His face flushed red as he tried to ignore the snickers around him.

Felix glanced at Yoshito with a deadpan expression, muttering under his breath, "So shameful for a warrior..."

Yoshito's head snapped toward Felix, still maintaining his bowing posture. "Hey! I heard that, you moron!" he growled through gritted teeth.

"Yo-shi-tooo," Chiharu sang playfully as she held out a piece of candy, pointing it toward his mouth.

Yoshito stiffened and placed a hand over his chest in protest. "No, ma'am! I can't right now—I'm on duty!"

In an instant, Chiharu's playful demeanor darkened. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she leaned closer to him. "I said... open your mouth." Her voice was low and menacing.

"A-Argh... Y-Yes... Aaaahhh..." Yoshito reluctantly opened his mouth as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

[Plop-Plop-Plop!]

Chiharu began stuffing candy after candy into Yoshito's mouth with alarming speed. Her laughter turned wicked—"Hihihihi!"—echoing through the air as she continued.

Yoshito's face quickly turned pale, then blue, as the sheer amount of candy rendered him unable to chew or swallow properly. He flailed helplessly before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud, unconscious from the sugary onslaught.

"There you go," Chiharu said triumphantly, placing her hands on her hips like she had just accomplished something grand. "I hope you enjoyed the meal."

[Swish!]

Her head suddenly snapped toward Felix like a predator locking onto its prey.

"What is it?" Felix asked calmly but cautiously as he straightened from his forced bowing position.

Chiharu stepped closer, her piercing eyes never leaving his face. Felix instinctively straightened from his bowing position as she closed the distance between them.

"You sure are tall," she murmured in a low voice that sent a chill down his spine. Her lips curled into a faint smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I can't help but wonder... are the clan leaders bold—or foolish—sending me someone so towering? Surely they know how much I despise those who loom over me."

Before Felix could respond, Chiharu suddenly leapt onto his back with surprising agility and strength. She grabbed a fistful of his hair while locking her legs tightly around his torso like a vice grip.

"Now—to the Cactus Gang hideout! Kiri-Kiri!" she declared triumphantly.

"Kiri-Kiri?" Felix thought to himself with exasperation as he adjusted to carrying this tiny yet terrifying guild master on his back. He couldn't help but remember being called "Puddingbrain" by Ewan.

[Whoosh]

After reaching what appeared to be the hideout, Chiharu sighed, "You are so slow."

[Plop]

Chiharu dismounted from Felix's back with a cute jump to the ground.

[CRACKLE-Fwoom-Boom]

She exploded the building's entrance with a blast.

Felix's eyes widened in surprise. "Why are there so many women coming out of an evil organization's hideout?" he thought.

"Hey Kiri-kiri, I want you to remove slave collars from every single one of them," Chiharu ordered.

"Slaves?" Felix echoed, his head swiftly turning towards the necks of the women.

"So, they are slaves of these bastards," Felix clenched his fist, his anger rising.

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[Whiiiiiish]

Chiharu turned her face towards Felix and saw his body covered in an ominous red, smoky aura. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Why is his aura dark red in color?" Chiharu wondered to herself.

"His aura is so dense, and his Zor energy pool is too much for an ordinary samurai," she thought, her concern growing.

[Crackle]

Felix charged his Zor energy into his hand, ready to obliterate the brothel building.

[Whhhsss]

Chiharu quickly tried to calm Felix's anger with her emotion power.

Felix felt a sudden sense of serenity wash over him. "What is this calmness?" he thought, looking at his hand as he came to his senses. "I did it again, didn't I?" A mixture of frustration and realization crossed his mind.

"Now you have me curious, but I'll save the questions for later," Chiharu said, bringing her focus back to the cactus.

Felix's mind raced. "Oh no, I'm in trouble... What should I do?" he thought to himself, concerned about his secret but maintaining his outward composure.

"Now... Do as I said," Chiharu ordered, pointing her finger towards the enslaved women while she still faced the building.

Felix quickly moved to where the enslaved women were and tried to help them, leaving Chiharu alone in front of the entrance.

A woman with blonde hair and brown eyes, wearing a pink nagagi, was on the ground, gasping for air. One hand was on the floor, the other clutching her chest. Several other women were around her, some having fainted from anxiety.

"Miss, can I help you?" Felix asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

The woman slowly lifted her head, tears in her eyes. "Please don't hurt me," she whispered.

Felix's eyes widened as he saw himself reflected in her tearful gaze and in the tears that dripped from her eyes.

[Fwip]

Without a second thought, he hugged her tightly.

"Please don't cry," he said softly.

"Nnngh..." she sobbed, burying her face in Felix's chest.

[Crack]

As Felix's hand rested on the woman's collar, it began to crack.

[Shatter]

The slave collar shattered completely.

"He may act like a child at times, but his heart is good," Chiharu said with a smile.

"Hey! They're here!" a voice came from inside the building.

"There are only two of them. We can beat them easily!" said another voice.

A third voice chimed in, "One of them is a pipsqueak. Didn't you say it was a scary woman? It's just a little girl!"

"Such futile humans," Chiharu whispered with anger, her forehead veins showing discontent.

[Whiiiiiish]

A red smoky aura, very different from Felix's, emanated from Chiharu, and the ground beneath her cracked.

Just then, men started appearing from the brothel building.

"Hey, short stuff! Get the hell out of here. This isn't the spot for kids!" shouted a man, pointing at Chiharu, who didn't flinch.

This man had blonde hair, dark blue sanpaku eyes with long eyelashes, and bags under his eyes that made him appear to glare. He wore a black nagagi with a red belt around his waist and a golden chain-like accessory around his neck.

[Crack]

"You want to die, right? So be it!" the heartless man said as he cracked his knuckles.

[KRRRRAK!]

The cactus member punched the ground, shattering it. The crack widened as it reached Chiharu, causing smoke to cover the area.

"Poor girly, hahahahah! She got buried for free!" The cactus man laughed, and his comrades joined in.

[THWACK]

A sound echoed, and the blonde-haired man went silent. After a few moments, the crowd saw him and fell quiet. The atmosphere became heavier and difficult to breathe.

Chiharu had appeared out of thin air and punched the blonde-haired man. Before he hit the ground, she hopped onto his shoulders and launched herself up.

[Thud]

The man fell to the ground as silence descended once again.

Chiharu's voice cut through the silence mid-air, "I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found."

[FWOOSH!]

Chiharu faded from sight.

[Fwoosh-Bam]

She reappeared and planted her foot straight into the center of another man's forehead. Men standing close to him collapsed.

Leaping from one man's head to another with her tiny feet, Chiharu swiftly made her way to the next target.

Feeling threatened, a group of men at the back congregated together and prepared to shoot multiple energy beams at Chiharu.

[Slap]

With multiple slaps, Chiharu redirected the energy beams in different directions in the sky.

[WHOOSH]

In a blink, she vanished again, reappearing behind a burly man wielding a massive club. Before he could react, Chiharu's tiny fist connected with his back.

"Impossible!" one of the three men standing near shouted, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Who... what are you?" gasped another from the trio, stumbling backward in terror.

[Whoosh]

In an instant, she vanished from sight, only to reappear behind the group of attackers. Before they could react, Chiharu's tiny fists became a blur of motion.

[Thwack-Thwack-Thwack]

They fell like dominoes, their bodies crumpling to the ground as Chiharu's strikes found their mark with pinpoint accuracy. Her movements were fluid and relentless, each attack flowing seamlessly.

Chiharu's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am justice," she declared, her voice ringing with authority despite her small stature.

[Thup]

Chiharu landed gracefully, her eyes gleaming with a predatory light meaning she was using her Zor release. "You boys need to learn some manners," she said, her voice deceptively sweet.

"Hey, man, you get her!" one of the few remaining shouted.

"Why should I do it? You do it, you stupid head!"

"What did you say, punk?"

[Swish-Bam]

The cactus member tried to hit his own comrade, but he dodged, and the punch hit the man standing behind him. Just like that, the people who had fought together with the same ambition started to fight each other.

The fight became so intense that a dust cloud formed around them.

"Now it's time to call the adventurers to capture these bastards," Chiharu said.

"Pffft.....Pffft.....Pffft..." Chiharu tried to whistle but was unable to do so.

"Ahem...Gummy bears, don't just tremble, gummy bears, assemble!"

[Whoosh-Fwoosh-Whoosh]

Instantly, adventurers nearby appeared, surrounding the area.

"M'lady," said Kurono and Hazuki in unison.

Chiharu started to give them orders, pointing her index fingers upwards and closing her eyes in an attempt to look wise. "Okay, so... I want—" She suddenly opened her eyes, realizing something was amiss. "Wait, where did you go?"

"Hey handsome," Kurono said, putting her hands on her cheeks.

Hazuki spoke carefully, choosing her words to elicit a positive response. "I... don't particularly... want to... ask this... but... I can... help... if you need it."

"Ugh... what am I going to do with them..." Chiharu sighed.

Felix gently lifted one of the enslaved women to her feet and said, "Oh, if you will, then please, I would like some help. These women have suffered greatly as slaves. I wonder how much cruelty they endured."

"So manly!" Kurono exclaimed, her eyes beaming in a heart shape.

Hazuki commented in her usual calculating tone, though her face was slightly flushed, "I... suppose that must be considered an act of pure manliness."

[Whoosh]

Yoshito appeared, bowing instantly as he materialized.

"You're back, Yoshi! I thought you'd be out for a while," Chiharu said with a cold smirk.

Yoshito's eyebrow twitched in frustration. "Please, ma'am, refrain from calling me by that name," he replied, his voice tight with barely contained irritation.

[Clack-Clack-Clack-Scrape-Scrape-Scrape]

The sound of footsteps echoed from the street outside.

Yoshito, who had been in a bowing stance, suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with fear. "They're already here?" he whispered to himself.

A stern voice cut through the tension. "What is this, Miss Chosokabe?"

The sun was behind them, casting their faces and bodies in shadow, but Chiharu, Yoshito, Kurono, and Hazuki knew exactly who these three individuals were.

Yoshito stood straight, a wry smile playing on his lips. "The Head Adventurers of the other guilds... always quick to get the news," he remarked, his voice a mixture of resignation and respect.

"Wait... Yoshito, is that you in a fluffy kimono?" asked a female voice from the trio.

"Huhhh... N-No, it's not like that!" Yoshito tried explaining, waving his hands.

At the same time, back at the castle, underground in its jail chambers, Katsuhiro, the army general, was walking through a dark corridor lit with candles on the walls.

"Ughhhh, how do these stupid heads wear these stupid clothes? It's so hot. Maybe they're stupid heads because they wear these armors," he muttered to himself, frustrated about the red kimono with a Catasticta sibyllae butterfly logo on its back that he was wearing.

He reached a big double door at the end of the corridor, where four samurai were standing guard. They were wearing full armor, their faces hidden by the shadows cast by their helmets.

"These men must be trouble if they're guarding this block of the prison," Katsuhiro thought.

"Men! Open the door for me and leave this space at once!" Katsuhiro ordered.

"Yes, sir!" all four said in unison.

[Click-Click-Click-Click]

All four turned around and inserted four keys that were resting on the side of their waists into the door. These keys were larger than normal and looked heavier, but they could still be held with one hand.

[Creakkk]

The heavy, thick iron door opened slightly, moving slowly inward.

[Clack-Clack-Clack-Scrape-Scrape-Scrape]

As they opened the door, the samurai walked away without questioning Katsuhiro's authority. Their code of honor dictated that they always follow their leader or the highest-ranking official, which in this case was Katsuhiro.