I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

Bodies dropped. One after the other, which was quickly followed by the small explosion of the bullets on impact.

The result was a chain of head explosions. Vivid, and strong. Carrying the weight of her aim.

Their heads erupted into a fountain of blood and flesh that was quickly consumed by the fog of the smoke emitted after the explosion.

Followed by the fall of their dysfunctional body. One after the other, they fell off the platform, leaving a gaping hole in the hearts of the other Masked figures alive and strong.

Four men fell, leaving one more who stood with his blood-soaked body.

Pain throbbing through his body from the edges of each explosion which struck him.

He was the man who had led them a moment ago, only to be left alone. Against their supposed captive.

Though at this point, she was no longer referred to as that.

Something different lingered in their heads as they watched their comrades fall from her skills.

The way she moved to cut them down was no different from a hunter, and they were her prey. The hunt.

Her expression was no different either.

The lingering residue of confrontation was evident in her tiresome expression.

Dishevelled dark hair and shimmering crimson eyes.

She was no different from a war goddess sent to disarm and subdue them in the most wicked way possible.

There was nothing more traumatising than your death impersonated by another human.

They held the reins to your life, ready to cut it off immediately.

The thought more than just startled him. It pushed him.

To the brink between insanity and dread.

Coiled like a crossbow string ready to snap.

A fear felt greater than any dread.

A finality.

The man fell to his knees.

Liquid dripping down the edges of his trousers while it soaked in a pool of his own demise.

His body shivered under the pressure of her gaze.

Pure intent manifested in a form that disarmed him in seconds.

He threw his weapon to the ground.

Shaking, breathtaking root in his chest as it rose and fell erratically.

He remained still, letting fear take root and bloom within.

There was nothing more to do, but give himself up.

And Ciara welcomed it with open arms.

She watched him silently.

Observing the liquid that pooled around him. A testament to his shame conquered by her will.

The ambient fluid felt almost natural.

Like a feeling her enemies should have under her gaze.

Something that should be second nature when they hear her name.

It filled her with something akin to purpose.

A breath of fresh air.

Then an image crossed her head.

Once again, the white haired with the colourless eyes.

It lingered like a stigma. A weakness to the greatness she was meant to uphold.

A fervent wound that refused to close. Slamming her back to the ground each time she attempted to float above her means.

It annoyed her. Angered her.

Left behind a bitter taste on her soul– like regret, but far more offensive.

Ciara closed her eyes and let the image warp away. Buried under the list of things that needed to be done.

Then she opened it and looked away from the man.

Straight at the figures who stood below.

The last set of Masked men sent to trap her. Or attempt to anyway.

'Though, I do admire their effort.'

She pushed herself off the wall of the Pipelines. Lifting herself into the air while she descended to her next targets. Her prey.

The masked figures quickly recoiled. They reacted with as much speed as they could and aimed their guns.

Firing with immediate purpose.

The bullets flew through the air with a whistle of purpose.

An evident disparity to make sense of the situation.

Some struck past her and exploded behind while many more struck the target.

Should have.

The bullets landed, but something stopped them.

A dome of protection that hovered over her body like a second skin.

Bouncing off the bullets to her sides which immediately exploded, casting the fog of smoke with it.

The Masked figures screamed in realisation.

A breath of exasperation lingered at the back of their throat as they increased the intensity.

Again and again, they pulled the trigger. Hesitation long gone. Replaced by the necessity to survive.

The urge to walk out of here with their heads and hearts still beating blood in their veins.

They needed to survive. Needed to live.

It would be useless without it.

Even Mercenaries knew what to prioritise at times like this.

They weren't Knights or soldiers of the kingdom. There was no reason to give their lives up for their Rhakar.

If they did, then who would remain to serve and protect him?

But even without that, it was man's first nature to resist death before accepting it.

And they would with every drop of sweat they had.

"KEEP SHOOTING!" A female screamed at the top of her lungs.

A continuous outflow of bullets firing at a rapid rate, untraceable with the naked eye.

"HER SHIELD MUST HAVE A LIMIT! KEEP FIRING!"

The others grunted. Concentration nearing a bar empty, while they watched Ciara descend towards them.

Her crimson gaze was a sharp contrast to the aqua light that transfused through the pipes.

Trailing at the end of her movements. Forming a thin line that glowed phosphorescent.

The bullets continued to bounce off the dome that surrounded her.

Blasting the explosions around her, unable to cause a flick of harm to her body.

Finally, she had neared too close.

Landing with a finality that spelt doom with a hollow whisk of the wind.

Her feet struck the platform with a force that caused it to groan under the weight of her landing.

The others were unable to react.

Simply watched while their guns made work of what they could.

One screamed. A voice that pierced through the air, despite the echo of gunshots that projected through the pipeline.

He held much value to his life more than a task that would only spell doom, and turned on his heels in a heartbeat.

His voice rang with a shaky wake as he screamed.

"Monster!"

The female whipped around as she called out "Get back here, you buffoon!"

She had turned back to call on her runaway subordinate when a sound whistled passed their bodies.

A hollow shrill, followed by a gun blast that blew the man's head apart.

She stood in shock.

Her throat ran dry as subtle gibberish escaped her lips.

The air was immediately filled with incomplete screams and gunshots that spelt the reality that dawned on her.

One after the other, the bodies fell around her.

A fountain of crimson filled the air while the metallic smell of blood rushed through her nose.

She choked while her body shivered on the spot.

Unable to move, she remained frozen. Head turned from their killer. The Hunter, pupils trembling.

Fixed on the body of the man who had attempted to escape.

Narrowing at the sight of scarlet blood that pooled around the motionless body.

Her head spun. Her vision blurred and the silence died.

With it, came a pound of foreboding that was squirted into her vessels like epinephrine.

Infusing a sort of power that made her weak.

Footsteps echoed.

Trailing behind, before nearing with unprecedented focus.

Still, she continued to stare back. Unable to turn around–No, a deep refusal to do so.

Her thoughts reeled in while her body remained unresponsive– Purposefully so.

'We were never told something like this could happen?! The great families! They're far more skilled than we had anticipated.'

Scattered thoughts woven into a reality. A realisation that dawned too late.

She ignored everything else, but those thoughts.

Letting the world slide past her while she grasped at the little moment she had breathing the air.

Even if every breath stank of the death of her comrades.

Then her head snapped when a voice pierced the air.

"You're not going to turn back?"

Instinctively, she did.

Glancing up at the pair of crimson eyes that seemed to hold the judgment of her fate.

"Oh?" Ciara mused. A purse to her lips as she folded her arms. "I guess you're not all that traumatised. I expected some of you to break down…"

'What?' The female masked figure wondered. 'She expected?'

"Though…" Ciara glanced up with a smile. "One of you already has. I'll just use that one to find the students you captured."

The female breathed in deeply and let it all out with a trembling sigh.

"You….you killed us this way….toyed with us….made us believe that we could stand a chance and then totally annihilate us…..just so you could break us down?"

Ciara arched her brow. Glancing at her with a subtle tilt of her head.

"Well, firstly." She started. "It's your fault for not putting my name into consideration."

She scoffed. "Are you stupid? I'm from the Merlin household. Did you seriously think that a large mana pool was all we had?"

She raised the gun into the air.

"These weapons you use. All artefacts from the Yellow Tower. A tower under our name.

Portal orbs. Protection orbs. Healing orbs. Transport Orbs…"

Her gaze lingered on the masked female.

A smug tugging at the edge of her lips.

"We built it all."

At that moment, the female turned her gaze to Ciara's right arm. Right there, a silver ring shimmered. A storage ring.

Some required mana to be used, but she had heard of a few which didn't.

They were already infused with a storage unit for mana which would be used for unlocking the storage ring.

All that was required was the human imprint of the owner. In other words, her finger.

Her thoughts came to a halt, and with it came a form of ease.

The female masked figure slumped her shoulders. Fell to her knees and simply chuckled.

"Hah…" She muttered. "From…from the very start…"

More laughter came out.

"...We were never going to win."

Ciara shrugged her shoulders as she pointed the gun at the female's head.

She placed her fingers on the barrel of the handgun. Tapped a hollow depression placed there.

The tinkering mechanism for firing small blasts or normal gunshots.

She had placed it in the former a while ago but now, she returned it to default.

"It was idiotic of you to think so."

She pulled the trigger.

BAM!

Her body fell to the ground with a loud thud. Filling the air with a relaxed silence.

Ciara sighed and looked up. Right at the spot she had left the only survival. Now, her captive.

"Hah….I don't get paid enough for all this free shit…"

She shook her head.

"Let's go. Before I decide you're useless too."