---
Sekhmet stared down at the battle again.
"I do not like helping."
Helping meant risk. Helping meant attention. Helping meant unpredictable consequences.
But this was Lily.
If it was her.
And if it was her, letting her die would be something he could not scrub off later, no matter how many lakes he bathed in.
Sekhmet’s eyes hardened.
"I have no choice."
He could refuse a stranger.
He could refuse a caravan.
He could refuse someone begging in the dirt.
But he could not refuse someone tied to his past.
Not this time.
Sekhmet rolled his shoulders once, checking the tightness in his muscles. The training tool still suppressed his displayed battle power, still tried to keep him balanced, still made his movements heavier in invisible ways. But suppression did not remove skill. It did not remove instinct.
And he had been training like a madman for months.
He had blood proficiency at ninety percent.
He had a blood bat with three thousand power.
He had fifty minion bats in Void Land.
He had Blood Control, Blood Sword, Blood Eye, Blood Summon, Blood Puppet.
He had options.
He also had fear.
Sekhmet breathed in.
Then out.
Then he made the decision.
He would not fight the leader unless he had to.
He would enter, disrupt, remove pressure, and if the leader’s power was beyond him, he would grab Lily and run with minion cover.
That was the plan.
Plans rarely survived contact with eight thousand battle power, but it was better than improvising while bleeding.
Sekhmet leaned toward Bat Bat.
"Scout," he whispered. "Mark the leader’s position. Do not get hit."
Bat Bat nodded violently.
"Yes! Scout!"
Sekhmet narrowed his eyes.
"And do not pee unless I tell you."
Bat Bat paused, then nodded again with a seriousness that did not match its tiny face.
"...Okay."
Sekhmet did not trust that.
He whispered into the void connection in his mind.
Void Land.
His storage responded like a silent room opening its door.
Whooomp...
He reached for the minion bats.
Not all. Not yet.
He pulled ten out first.
Whooomp... Pop... Pop... Pop...
Ten small blood bats formed around him, clinging to the rock and hovering in place, eyes duller than Bat Bat’s but loyal.
He gave them a simple command, pushing intent through Blood Summon’s link.
"Scout the edges. Distract the small ones. Do not die."
The minions fluttered, obeying without understanding.
Flapflapflap...
Sekhmet formed Blood Sword, keeping the blade short to conserve blood and maintain stability.
Shhhh...
He stepped out from the crack.
Then he jumped.
Whoosh!
He dropped down the ridge like a shadow falling into a fight. His nightmare boots hit stone without much sound, and he landed behind a raider beast that was about to hammer an escort from the back.
The raider beast did not even have time to turn.
Sekhmet’s blood sword flashed.
Shhk!
The blade cut cleanly across the beast’s throat. Blood sprayed. The creature’s hands went to its neck in useless shock.
Gk—!
It collapsed.
Thud!
An escort glanced over, eyes widening, but Sekhmet did not pause. He moved like a storm slipping between bodies, keeping his head low, keeping his scent masked by the coat, letting the chaos of combat hide his presence.
Two raider beasts turned toward him, snarling, faces ugly and grey, their weapons raised.
Sekhmet activated Blood Control instantly, pulling the fresh blood from the fallen beast’s throat.
Shhhh...
The blood rose like a snake, twisting midair.
The raiders hesitated, eyes widening at the sight.
Sekhmet flung the blood into their faces like a whip.
Splat!
They flinched, blinded, snarling and wiping at their eyes.
Sekhmet stepped in and cut one down with a single slash.
Shhk!
The second swung wildly. Sekhmet ducked, the cleaver passing overhead, and then drove the blood sword up through the beast’s ribs.
Shhk!
The raider convulsed and fell.
Thud!
Sekhmet exhaled, focusing, not letting adrenaline steal his precision.
He kept moving.
A raider tried to strike Lily’s flank. Sekhmet intercepted, blade clashing with the raider’s weapon.
Clang!
The impact jolted his arm, but he did not yield. He shoved the raider back with his shoulder, then slashed the raider’s knee.
Shhk!
The beast screamed and went down.
Lily’s eyes snapped toward Sekhmet.
For a heartbeat, their gazes met.
Her eyes widened.
Not with surprise at a stranger.
With recognition.
Sekhmet felt it instantly, like a hook catching his chest.
She knows.
Lily’s mouth parted as if to speak his name, but Sekhmet shook his head sharply, a warning without words.
Not now.
Not here.
Not in the middle of blood and screaming.
Lily’s expression shifted, understanding sliding into place with the speed of someone trained. She did not speak. She simply pivoted and stabbed another monster with brutal efficiency, trusting Sekhmet’s silent command.
The escorts saw the shift too. Their formation tightened again, drawing energy from the sudden support. They fought harder, shoulders straighter, eyes sharper.
The raider beasts began to panic.
Their ambush was failing.
Their prey was not breaking.
Their prey had gained something unexpected.
And then Bat Bat struck.
Bat Bat dove from above, fast and fearless, straight toward a raider’s face.
Flap— Whoosh!
The raider swung at Bat Bat instinctively.
Bat Bat twisted midair, avoiding the swing by inches, then did something much worse.
"Look! Look!" Bat Bat yelled, voice loud as a child on purpose.
The raider blinked in confusion.
Bat Bat hovered directly above the raider’s head.
Sekhmet’s eyes widened.
"Do not—" he hissed.
Prrrrt. Prrrrt.
A tiny stream fell.
Plip... Plip... Plip...
It landed directly on the raider’s forehead and into its eyes.
The raider froze, stunned by the sheer disrespect of being urinated on in the middle of a battle.
Its weapon lowered a fraction.
Its mouth opened in disbelief.
"...What."
Bat Bat cackled.
"Heh!"
The escort nearest did not hesitate. He took the opening and chopped the raider’s head off.
Shhk!
The head rolled.
The raider’s body fell.
Thud.
Bat Bat fluttered away, proud.
"I help!" Bat Bat shouted.