Arknights: Mobile City

In that instant, Nearl felt an almost suffocating wave of heat.

The surrounding temperature seemed to spike several degrees in mere seconds, becoming unbearably scorching. With great effort, Nearl raised her head, squinting toward the blazing silhouette of the Firebird in front of her, and gritted her teeth.

Can we truly defeat something like this?

If the mere heat radiating from its presence was this unbearable, how terrifyingly hot must its actual body be?

She nearly leaped away instinctively to evade both the oppressive heat and the bird's aggressive dive. But at that moment, she caught a glimpse of Don Quixote standing calmly nearby from the corner of her eye.

She froze momentarily, confusion temporarily dulling her instincts. Her footsteps faltered unconsciously.

In that split second, a blood-red spear appeared in Don Quixote's grasp. Lowering his stance slightly, a bright grin spread across his lips.

"Ha…perfect timing."

"Interesting…then let us have a proper duel!"

In an instant, Don Quixote leaped upward, blood spear raised, directly clashing with the Firebird. Nearl stared blankly at the sky, momentarily stunned by the sight of two figures—one crimson, one blazing gold—colliding in mid-air.

How can he withstand such extreme heat?

This question flickered briefly through Nearl's mind.

Of course, the answer was fairly simple:

For Don Quixote, this amount of heat was probably trivial.

In mid-air, the Firebird shrieked sharply, diving again amidst a trail of sparks and flame. Yet Don Quixote, seemingly unfazed, effortlessly dodged sideways. Then, gripping his spear firmly, he activated his [Blood Arts].

In the next instant—just as the creature halted its dive—Don Quixote's spear swelled rapidly to its fullest, and with a swift flash of crimson—

—it was all over in the blink of an eye.

Everything happened so swiftly, Nearl had hardly time to comprehend what she'd just witnessed.

As the crimson light faded, Don Quixote dashed forward, thrusting the spear through the Firebird's body. With barely a heartbeat passed, the blazing monster dissolved instantly into a large, golden egg resting on the ground, alongside a brilliant golden feather etched with intricate patterns.

"Hm…is this feather my trophy for the victory?" Don Quixote murmured softly, picking up the feather between two fingers and examining it thoughtfully. His gaze shifted briefly to the egg at his feet before turning to Nearl with a shrug and a cheerful smile:

"Alright, let's go! Now that we've taken care of our target, there's nothing else left to do. Though, speaking of which, is this egg its offspring? Ah, whatever. Hai asked us to retrieve it, so let's just take it back…"

Observing Don Quixote's carefree attitude, Nearl decided to swallow her words of caution. She finally chose not to tell him that perhaps the feather was more than a mere souvenir…

Thus, lifting the egg carefully, the pair began their return journey toward The City.

They hadn't quite reached the Fixer Office when someone intercepted them on their way back.

At the outskirts of The City, a man with black hair and golden eyes stopped them, presenting Hai's token and revealing that he was, in fact, their true employer for this mission.

This black-haired, golden-eyed man was none other than X.

After confirming his identity, the trio swiftly proceeded to complete the transaction following the mission.

"Oh? I didn't expect you two to run into the Firebird…" X muttered thoughtfully, placing one hand on his hip and gently stroking his chin as he studied the enormous egg. Don Quixote enthusiastically nodded and began eagerly recounting his battle:

"That's right! We encountered it and immediately began an epic fight! It lasted a very long time, and throughout the entire battle—"

"Let me interrupt for a moment."

X raised a hand calmly, interrupting Don Quixote's excited storytelling:

"You said you defeated the Firebird. Did you happen to pick up a feather?"

"A feather? You mean this?" Don Quixote replied, casually pulling out the colorful feather from his belt. But suddenly he paused, blinking in mild surprise, as unfamiliar information about using the feather seemed to flood his mind.

Oh? So this thing actually has a purpose?

Don Quixote stared skeptically at the feather for a moment, before a look of mild disdain crossed his face.

It seemed fairly useless. Definitely weaker than his [Blood Arts].

"Yes, exactly—that's the one. Good, you did get it."

X's golden eyes flickered briefly, recalling its precise value instantly.

[EGO Weapon]

[Feather of Honor].

Obtainable only after defeating the Firebird, a WAW-level Abnormality.

The Firebird itself was also WAW-level. However, as an Abnormality intended for routine management or energy extraction, it wasn't particularly exceptional.

But given the current circumstances, X had no room to be picky.

Well, let's try extracting some energy from it anyway.

Deciding this, X began negotiations with Don Quixote and Nearl. Moments later, they settled on a price. X offered an increased fee, and in exchange, Don Quixote and Nearl handed over both the Feather of Honor and the Firebird's golden egg. Thus, this mission concluded successfully.

"But though this mission is over, there'll be more to come."

Just as Don Quixote and Nearl turned to leave, X suddenly spoke, causing Don Quixote to halt mid-step. He turned around, facing X directly.

X smiled gently as he continued:

"Allow me to formally reintroduce myself. I'm X, from Lobotomy Corporation, your employer responsible for commissioning you to capture Abnormalities. We need these Abnormalities, and naturally, our requests won't end here. Many more are needed."

X placed a hand over his heart and bowed slightly toward Don Quixote, closing his eyes briefly.

"These monsters exist everywhere in The Outskirts. On one hand, this is our commission. On the other, eliminating these threats reduces The City's overall burden."

"In short… would you two be willing to accept further requests? As your current adventure ends, a new journey begins—another chapter in your saga, destined to become a legend and epic told only about the two of you."

X raised his head, gazing meaningfully at Don Quixote.

After only a moment's hesitation, Don Quixote nodded resolutely.

And thus, Don Quixote's life as a proud Bloodfiend was thoroughly and irrevocably ruined.