The first bandit fell with a dull thud.
Akari's blade struck flat-first, knocking the man unconscious before he even realized what had happened.
The second lunged wildly, panic behind his eyes.
She sidestepped, swept his legs, and brought the hilt of her sword down against his neck.
Another down.
Good. Just like Elen taught me.
The remaining bandits hesitated.
"She's fast," one hissed.
Akari didn't answer. Her movements were efficient, precise. She redirected the attacks, disarmed, and disabled the enemy.
Within moments, three more men lay groaning on the ground.
Her breathing stayed even.
This is enough. They'll flee.
Then.
A scream cut through the night.
Akari froze.
It came from the opposite side of the village.
Her head snapped toward the sound, and her heart dropped.
Two children.
Bound.
A blade pressed against one boy's throat.
New figures stepped from the shadows, bandits she hadn't seen.
"Move," one of them snarled, tightening his grip. "And the kid dies."
Akari's hands trembled.
I didn't sense them…
Her divine power surged, then stuttered.
No. Calm. Think.
The bandits she'd already defeated lay behind her.
The ones holding the children stood too close.
Too close.
Disabling wouldn't be enough.
Not now.
"Drop your weapons," the leader sneered.
Akari looked at the children's faces, wide-eyed, shaking, terrified.
And something inside her hardened.
She exhaled.
Her stance shifted.
The golden light didn't explode outward this time.
It sank inward, coiling around her heart.
"…No," Akari said softly.
The bandit blinked. "What?"
"I won't let you leave," she continued. "And I won't let you hurt anyone."
Her swords hummed.
A deeper resonance answered her resolve.
The bandit's smile twisted. "Then watch them."
He never finished the sentence.
Akari moved.
Faster than sound.
Her body blurred, divine light flashing along her blades.
One bandit fell, cleanly, before the children even realized she'd moved.
The second turned in panic.
Too slow.
Steel flashed.
Blood struck the dirt.
Silence crashed down.
Akari stood there, chest heaving, swords dripping red.
The remaining bandits ran.
Akari rushed to the children, dropping her blades.
"Hey… you're safe," she said, hands shaking as she cut their bonds.
They clung to her, sobbing.
She held them close.
Behind her, the village began to stir, doors opening, lanterns flaring.
Akari stared down at her hands.
She had crossed a line.