The saw blade reached Allen’s neck faster than he could raise his arms. It rushed right past unimpeded. Allen fell to his knees in a futile attempt to avoid the projectile that had already hit its target. He did not feel more pain than a sharp sting though as he realized that he reflexively shielded his neck with mana.

The young man did not have much time to take this in. The saw blades were wrapping back around in the air like boomerangs. He dodged out of one’s way and looked toward Nera with a worried expression.

Catching his gaze, she responded quickly. “I’ll be fine! I might not be able to see his magic directly but the physical saws he makes are as clear as day!”

Allen nodded his head stiffly as the two found themselves in a deadly dance of avoiding the saw blades that constantly circled around in the air. The dimly lit construction site with ground as desolate as a desert was like a no man’s land. The two pressed forward as much as they could with the unending assault of the blades that could cut through skin like paper.

Nera was making the most headway. Maneuvering more and more gracefully as she got used to the rotations of the saw blades. On the other hand, Miller had no inclination on making it that easy for her and created several more saw blades to send in her direction. She was now only able to keep them a hair’s length away from slashing through her body

Allen could observe that he used two Sigils to do this. One to create the saw blades using the ground as a resource for the material and another of the same Sigil to control the saw blades once he sent them out.

‘I’ve heard about Sigils before, but I’m not sure how many a Crafter can use at once. Even if he’s capped at two, that’s already tough to deal with. I’m not sure how we could handle any more than that.’

He brushed that worry aside with the reasoning that the Wheelwright Crafter would have put another Sigil in use already if that was the case. Allen’s mind then focused on how to get closer to Miller without having the same agility as Nera.

Meanwhile, Nera was successfully nearing Miller until he started to back away at a similar pace so the distance between them never closed. With the numerous saw blades rotating rapidly in the air, Allen wondered why the man did not just send them straight toward Nera and him all at once as gruesome as that outcome would be

‘...It’s because he can’t!’ A flash of clarity struck Allen at that moment. A saw blade almost separated his head from his shoulders at the same time if he had not ducked. He burst forward while sidestepping the dangerous rings of metal as best he could.

‘From the name, this guy’s Craft seems to be all about wheels and maybe that extends to circular motions as well. He can angle and speed up their paths, but those paths always have the same circular trajectory…’

From his encounters with various Specters before that had strange abilities with their own unusual rules, Allen had developed an uncanny knack for piecing together those supernatural patterns. In comparison to what he had seen before, those saw blades that kept orbiting around in the same fashion had an obvious pattern to them.

“I just need to find the gap in them!’ Allen began to well up mana onto his legs until it was like they were dyed black with ink.

Being physically a regular person, he did not have the grace and acrobatics of Nera nor the strength and precision of Iyo, but for a brief instant, he could overcome those attributes with a surge of power from the mana crystals he had. Allen bounded off the ground, leaving a small crater. He shot straight between the circular paths of blades and reeled his fist back.

“Aghh!” Too preoccupied with Nera to notice, Miller received a heavy blow to his side from Allen that knocked him off the ground.

“Bullseye,” Allen remarked with a ragged grin.

That attack was surprisingly effective. The Wheelwright Crafter quickly regained his balance, but Nera already took the opportunity to reach him.

“Back off.” Miller swatted his fist at Nera with enough force to send her flying, but she twirled around and grabbed his arm to use his own momentum against him.

“Magical Dazzling Hammer Throw!” Nera yelled with glee as she threw him into another punch from Allen. This one was blocked by Miller’s arms, but the force still rattled him. His eyes furrowed in puzzlement as the fight intensified.

***

Iyo had reached the tent Nera pointed out and gently laid Liam inside of it. After making sure his condition was stable, he began to turn to leave and help with the fight.

“Wait..Iyoto.” Liam spoke up after barely managing to regain consciousness.

“Save it for later. You shouldn’t push yourself right now.” Iyo quickly replied.

“It’s..at times like these where one needs to push themself…especially when I caused myself to end up in this sorry predicament.”

“You were as much a victim in this as I was, Liam.”

“Not quite, when our crew took this job, that Miller guy approached me about convincing you to work late at night. It sounded suspicious from the start, but he offered to help fund the inn…”

Iyo stared at the ground and wondered if greed was really the driving factor behind Liam’s choice. He soon came to an answer.

“There’s more to it, isn’t there?”

“Yeah. You know...after Mr. Takamura passed away and what happened to my mom, I actually wanted to turn that inn into a place for Grendels to live safely while this city gradually changed for the better but…”

“That doesn’t come without costs.” Iyo completed his sentence. He already knew the cold hard reality that even art, peace, and people’s lives were weighed on a budget.

Liam let out a bitter chuckle that turned into a groan of pain. “Some role model I turned out to be. I should’ve never done what he told me to. That got you roped into this. I thought he may have been trying to use you as extra security. By the time I realized what Miller was up to and tried to confront him about it, he had already decided I wasn’t worth keeping around any longer.”

“That’s why he attacked you with the Warg. Just what is he after?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but my best guess is that he’s trying to frame you, a Grendel, for causing the development of the clinic to be permanently shut down. I think he’s a part of the faction of Crafters that wants to keep Grendel away from the mundane world.”

“So, I really was the source of all this conflict.”

Liam let out another pained laugh. “You’ve always been able to see stuff clearly except when it came to your own reflection. You’re not the one to blame, I am.”

“Maybe my reflection just needs more polishing then.” Iyo stated and Liam’s eyes widened at Iyo making a joke which he rarely did.

“And to add to that, yours may as well, because the person to really blame for this is out there right now trying to harm the ones who’ve helped me out a great deal already. I need to do my part now.”

“You’re right. What matters is just seeing this all the way to the end.”

Iyo nodded and faced the exit of the tent again.

“One more thing. Iyoto, before you go and I pass out for the twelfth time, there’s something I want to tell you about.”

***

The two members of Virtuoso were still locked in pitched combat with the Shadow Thief. Allen and Nera had seemingly attained a slight upper hand now that they were both within close range to Miller. They were too near for him to direct his blades toward them and the weapons fell to the ground without his focus.

Nera leaped into the air with a side kick. Miller easily blocked the strike but she pushed off and knocked him off his balance Allen then lunged forward and slammed his fist into his opponent’s gut.

Miller winced at the blow and tried to gain some ground but they were hot on his trail. Using his two Styli, he drew two more Sigils in the air.

“Wheelwright Craft, Page 4 - Cardinal Winds.”

Dual whirlwinds blasted toward each of them but the area they took up was small enough for them to evade the vortexes. Allen shakily angled himself away from the direction of the Sigils and jumped to the side. Nera did something similar and continued to rush forward.

“It’ll take more than that to get away.” She declared as she launched herself for another attack.

“Magical Flying Kick Breaker!” The young woman jammed her steel-soled shoe straight toward Miller whose crossed arms completely halted it. However, just like last time, she followed up with a shove that bent him backward and propelled him partially off the ground.

Allen moved to take advantage of that opening and Miller swiped his hand to try to stop him. The inexperienced street brawler simply ducked under the limb and went for an uppercut straight to his opponent’s jaw. It was just a matter of moving forward when Miller was off-kilter and throwing a punch with all his weight behind it, it was not too difficult for even an amateur combatant.

‘How am I being pressured by these two?’ Miller pondered in genuine confusion.’That Variate’s able to get around my aura’s defense by following up with a weak push my aura doesn’t register as something to repel. That leaves me open for an attack from the Common one but his punches still shouldn’t be effective.’

Allen and Nera continued their offensive with a series of kicks from Nera underscored by a barrage of punches from Allen. After receiving one strong blow from Allen, Miller looked closely at the dark aura cloaking his fist that quickly dispersed into imperceptibility.

‘That’s it.’

The Wheelwright Crafter finally understood the phenomenon occurring. Allen had no aura of his own and simply relied on mana crystals to generate one. That meant he was using ambient mana which was the same kind that filled the Underworld. Normally, a person’s aura will reject that of another person’s when they collided but that was not the case for ambient mana. If it was, Crafters would not be able to use mana crystals themselves to replenish their aura.

‘None of the aura of his attacks is being rejected! I’m receiving the full force of each of his attacks when another Crafter’s would be cut in half. It’s like how a magnet won’t repel a non-magnetic metal no matter how close it gets.’

This was the hidden specialty of the move known as , a phantom blow that ignored the principle of aura rejection in magic combat. Of course, Allen had no idea about this as he winded up for another punch.

Miller was sure now that close corners combat like this was not in his favor. The moment he had the chance, he rapidly waved his Styli to form two Sigils simultaneously. The Virtuoso duo tensed up, but he did not aim for them but at the Earth below. He used two gusts to propel himself dozens of meters away.

He then set about drawing another new Sigil on the dirt. The other two rushed toward him, but he finished right as they got close. The magic symbol that resembled a blazing sun expanded under their feet.

“Wheelwright Craft, Page 5 - Grand Solar Wheel.” Miller chanted confidently.

“Dammit!”

“Crap!”

Allen and Nera exclaimed respectively in unison. Nera was able to pick up on the development by watching Allen’s eyes pointed down to under their feet. She knew something big was coming and it was not a move neither of them could avoid in time.

“Ebajutsu: Bee.” They heard a voice ring out from behind them and two yellow streaks raced under their feet and blasted them back with a high-pitched noise like that of a bee’s wing flaps.

An instant later, the Sigil flared vertically with golden light. Fortunately, Allen and Nera were out of the radius. Nera had landed on her feet while Allen fell sorely on his butt. They looked between each other to see Iyo had returned to the battle with his yellow goggles around his neck and his eyes directed at Miller.

“Took you long enough, Goggles,” Nera told him.

“Way to make an exquisite entrance,” Allen remarked as he got up.

“This guy’s causing so much damage to the clinic's construction progress is at risk of being halted, and he’s scattering so much dust that my goggles are getting blurry.” The young Oni said that last statement with unmatching determination.

“Uhh, I think you have your priorities mixed up there,” Allen commented in mild exasperation.

“Maybe we do too.” Nera chimed in.”We shouldn’t just be trying to beat this guy up. I saw he had some kind of surveillance device he was using to hack into cameras before.”

“You think we can show that to Mr. Hunstad as evidence?” Allen inquired.

“Not just that, it probably has information about that factory you visited in your dreams and if that place is where he got the flute with similar powers as Harpe..”

Allen’s eyes opened wider in understanding. “It could lead us to find out more about the Grim Inheritor Trial!”

Nera nodded in confirmation.

Meanwhile, Iyo was too single-mindedly focused on Miller to pay this much attention as he spoke.

“Miller, why did you decide to cause all this mayhem? I have my own ideas, but I want to hear it directly from your mouth.”

The person in question raised up gradually from the ground before responding. He had adopted the easy-going expression that Allen had first known from him. The kind an affable supervisor would take with their employees.

“Hmph, you did seem like the type to get straight to the point. But, it’s as I said before, this is all to lead to a more harmonious horizon for all different groups of people.” After making this statement, he was able to tell from their looks of ire that still did not buy his words.

“Did you know that an eclipse is considered to be a bad omen?” Miller continued.

“What in the world are you talking about?!” Nera yelled out.

“The Mundane World and the Underworld, the Sun and the Moon. Those two crossing paths will only lead to disaster. That’s why I’m going to make sure they stay separate.”

“Even if it means trampling on innocent people to make that happen?” Allen spat those words out at him.

“If that’s needed, then yes.” The Crafter answered with the same fake smile.

“I can’t understand that reason.” Iyo briefly proclaimed.

Miller tilted his head forward. “It’s probably better that way.”

He chanted and traced the air. Another volley of saw blades was sent out.

“Watch out for the opening in the circular paths! That’s the way to avoid them!” Allen shouted advice to the others as he dodged himself.

“Not letting that happen!” Miller responded in kind by using to disrupt the regular paths of the aerial blades. They now flew about haphazardly in unpredictable directions. Allen, Nera, and Iyo were even more pinned down as even a single careless misstep could lead to them being slashed to pieces.

Being in the area was like being in the middle of a windstorm filled with incredibly deadly debris rushing around. Nera acted quickly and made the risky move to grab two of the saw blades from the air and throw them at Miller. He was shocked by the maneuver and his arms were slashed through by his own projectiles.

Allen and Iyo used that preoccupation to narrow the gap between them and try to deal damaging blows. However, Miller was quicker and evaded Iyo’s attack before rushing to meet Allen. The Wheelwright Crafter thrust out his Stylus towards Allen’s chest and drew a Sigil. He had realized that although ignored his aura rejection, it was also a two-way streak.

His magic would not get rejected even at point-blank range.

“Cardinal Winds!”

Even though he had guarded with mana, Allen was still blown away by a whirlwind that sent him flying to the other end of the site. He landed on the ground with a muffled thud and his breath knocked out of him.

“Huh?”

Iyo did not falter at all and ran past Miller while raking his claws straight through his side. Blood sputtered out from the wound onto Iyo and his eyes quivered. He was nowhere close to being used to harming another person, but he had already resolved that this would be necessary.

Simultaneously, Nera dived in from above. Miller turned his attention to her immediately. In that split second, Nera knew Miller could intercept her if she was alone and noticed Iyo going for another attack. However, she hesitated, a small part of her not being sure if she could completely trust the very same type of person she had been trained to fight.

That short instance of hesitation was all the Crafter needed. He grabbed her leg and flung her into Iyo. When they collided, Miller had already prepared another Sigil to blow them farther away.

Nera quickly got up with a scowl on her face.

“I can deal with this guy on my own. Just hang back!” She commanded Iyo before charging in by herself.

Meanwhile, Miller casted a Sigil Iyo had not seen previously.

“Wheelwright Craft, Page 6, Grand Lunar Wheel.”

A silvery circular lattice of arcane symbols unfolded onto the ground and a large crescent moon-shaped structure of similar color formed from it like a hovercraft rising from the sea. This object was sent flying toward Nera like a boomerang as it constantly rotated.

Nera avoided its first strike and reached Miller, but it kept coming back to her. Despite being much larger than the saw blades, the crescent moon was exceedingly more precise as if it was tracking her movements. She was never able to get close to her opponent while avoiding it.

Nera grunted as the projectile crashed into her while she blocked with her metal gauntlets. Sparks flew as the metal collided and the crescent moon rolled over her arms.

“This piece of trash is so heavy!” Nera exclaimed as she successfully deflected the strike. Her breathing was strained now but she had no time to recover as it returned for another go at her.

“And so damn persistent!”

‘The moon always follows the sun.’ Miller thought as he funneled more of his mana into the celestial weapon. The silvery magical circle still under his feet.

“Wait...I think I get it now. It’s that kind of trick.” Nera lunged forward at a blisteringly fast pace. She gleaned that this move was the kind that automatically locked onto a target and pursued it relentlessly.

‘If that’s the case, I just need to get close enough to the point where he’ll be caught in the crossfire.’ This was the conclusion she had come to.

Nera was in striking distance to Miller as she waited for the crescent moon to circle back. However, the projectile had found a new target. Iyo had entered into the fray again and now it was right on him. Nera noticed a hand motion from Miller and hurled herself at Iyo to knock him out of the way of whatever was coming.

The crescent moon expanded into a full moon at a speed that would surely sliced Iyo in half had it not been for Nera’s quick thinking.

“I thought I told you to stay back?!”

“I can’t do that. This is my responsibility as well.”

“Well, it would be mega helpful if it wasn’t. I got this.”

Both their eyes widened at the same time and they ducked under as the moon projectile flew over their heads. It kept going to tear across the clinic’s upper stories. Debris rained down from above on top of them before they could get away. In a matter of seconds, they were buried under a pile of rubble.

Then, there was just quiet. The dust settled and Miller was the only one left standing.

The Shadow Thief sighed in exhaustion.