"Kestrel..." The fight was already underway, and Kestrel could hear Nicole’s worried shout echoing with the breeze.

"This time, I can’t give up," Kestrel told herself. "Otherwise, Nicole would be really upset for a long time."

Before, she might have felt happy that someone cared enough to cry for her. But now things were different; now the idea of dying thoughtlessly scared her a little. She was afraid of making Nicole sad, afraid of how she would face her friends Rakan and Raymond, and Locky, Kaworu back at home.

Now, she realized the gravity of having someone genuinely concerned about her.

Ren had already begun fighting the mutant. Kestrel, mounting the orca, joined the fray.

The creature was massive, its face vaguely human yet devoid of any visible emotions. Its unfeeling eyes looked down from a great height, its giant green belly and wings covering much of the sky.

It didn’t seem to harbor hatred or rage, its desire to harm humans stemmed purely from its nature. It remained here, only springing to life to attack when humans approached.

It attacked swiftly and without pity, its huge, freezing scythe moving so fast that it left nearly no traces in its wake.

The air was filled with sharp, shattering noises. Even the surrounding area seemed to warp briefly. Ren’s tiny black figure flashed as he pulled back quickly, leaving a lengthy trail in the flower sea, causing a flurry of purple-red petals.

Ren managed to avoid the initial series of attacks, but at some point, the Ferris wheel behind him had been neatly sliced from top to bottom, as easily as slicing through butter. The cut was neat and shiny, and one half of the enormous Ferris wheel started to slide down a moment later, eventually crashing loudly into the flower sea.

Kestrel charged forward on the back of the orca, ready to face the battle.

Fighting this mutant was hard since it didn’t appear to have a brain like other beings. Its gigantic body showed almost no signs of emotional response, making it incredibly tough to anticipate its moves. It was strikingly powerful and eerily quick.

Luckily, her partner in this fight was Ren.

It had been a while since Kestrel had fought alongside Ren, since coming back from the Eyehole. In that time, she had partnered with many different kinds of alpha warriors. They were all great fighters in the Empire, each with their unique strengths. But none could match the effortless teamwork she experienced with Ren.

The Queen had once mentioned that alphas were just tools, interchangeable as long as one could handle them well, and she should adapt to working with soldiers from various groups.

But from her own experience, Kestrel felt that wasn’t entirely true. Maybe the Queen had never met an alpha that truly complemented her. Kestrel understood that in the most critical and perilous battles, the gap in teamwork could be huge.

In this moment, she could totally sense Ren’s every movement, his breath, and his mounting excitement. She could even pick up on the tightness in his muscles, the minute changes in his skin, and each emotion that bubbled up within him.

As Ren ran, it felt to her like she was running alongside him. When Ren soared into the air, she too felt the rush of leaving the earth far behind.

Strike! The sword sliced deeply into the hard exterior.

Block! The force of the enemy’s weapon sent a numbing vibration up her arm.

Even though Kestrel was a fair distance away from the creature, that massive pale face seemed to loom right before her, every feature crisp and clear—it was as if her breathing and senses had fused into one with his.

This was a depth of connection Kestrel hadn’t found with any other alpha, regardless of their strength.

Ren felt like an extension of herself, an integral part of her being; he was her arm, her eye, her weapon.

Simultaneously, they gazed upward, confronted the terror unitedly, shared the pain and the thrill, even their heart rhythms aligned.

She absorbed Ren’s outlook, his feelings, and his sensory experiences, and could even guide Ren to focus intensely in pivotal moments, shielding him from pain and fear, taking it upon herself to endure the peril and harm.

She viewed the behemoth through Ren’s eyes, while Ren assessed the broader scenario through her vantage point.

Kestrel firmly captured even the faintest emotional ripple from the adversary, and if her psychic abilities could seize control of the foe even for a brief moment, her sword—Ren, would be drawn swiftly to accurately counterattack the foe.

They nearly handed over their lives to one another, relying fully on each other’s skills in crucial times.

This kind of battle was a rush.

Flashes of blades and dancing shadows of swords, splatters of blood and the heat of exertion, massive monsters and vibrant flowers. At the knife’s edge, a thin margin separated life from death.

Her heart raced, hairs prickled in anticipation. For Kestrel, this lethal, perilous thrill was a twisted kind of pleasure.

Maybe only a lunatic would share her sentiment. Thankfully, in this world, there existed another just like her, someone who experienced physical and emotional sensations just as she did, a perfect match for her.

They were both were innate fighters, destined to thrive in such combative arenas. The sensation was so exhilarating that even the threat of death couldn’t overshadow it.

The elongated blade absorbed Ren’s blood, morphing into a demonic red weapon. Thin red streaks danced vigorously around the mutant’s vast frame.

The insect’s green frontal wing was sliced off.

Next, its face shield tumbled down, swiftly followed by a powerful arm morphed into a scythe-like blade.

Even then, the monster, now devoid of a head, wings, and one limb, continued to charge mindlessly in the sea of flowers, unaffected by pain or loss, its spinning blade lights gouging deep furrows in the earth.

All of a sudden, Ren backed away, avoiding the many blade shadows falling from the sky that were trying to pin him to the ground before the damaged body could fall completely.

The orca swung its tail and rushed forward, smashing into the strange, yet still moving, damaged body from behind. After hitting it, the orca’s head flipped in the air. Meanwhile, Kestrel stood on its back, her hair flowing wildly in the strong wind, her eyes shining with a golden light, and numerous tendrils burst out from the shadows.

Ren stood up to continue the battle until the huge body finally collapsed, crashing into the flower field and causing a massive cloud of dust and smoke to rise.

After landing, Ren supported himself with his sword, looking upward, the purple light in his eyes still glowing.

Kestrel climbed down from the orca and gazed into the distance.

Towards the place where Nicole and the others had vanished, a bright point appeared on the horizon, shining brilliantly even in broad daylight.

The sun was coming up.