The plaza trembled in anticipatory terror as I held her wild gaze. It seemed as though it couldn't bear the weight of two [Unique] predators in the same space.

  Before I could utter an accusatory word, Vice hissed his vulgarities first. He still struggled within the confines of my [Spectral Frost].

  "Violet! You damn traitorous bit…!"

  Violet merely glanced at him. "Oh, Vice, you know how much I dislike being under the thumb of another. Though…" She slithered toward him, stopping just short of his face, "it is so damn hilarious to see you two in such a pitiful state. You are both such wonderful losers!"

  I imagined he would retaliate with a retort of his own when both basilisk eyes glowed. Vice held her gaze for a moment, and, shockingly, he shuddered and lowered his head with emotions that resembled fear and submission.

  Meanwhile, Vicious tried to lift his head. He struggled to speak with his broken jaw.

  "You… you dare insult us, Violet! Once the King hears about this—"

  "King?!" She interrupted him with a laugh. "Give me a break! If you think I'm bothered in the slightest by that slithering fool, then you haven't been paying attention to the developments happening outside of your coil!"

  Her grin widened as unease twisted in Vicious's eyes. "Maybe it's ripe to get rid of a few nuisances…" her shadow loomed above him, making her appear larger. "Beg to be pardoned by your Queen, boys."

  I felt the air rippling from Violet's disastrous aura. But upon considering my surroundings: the plaza had now emptied of its spectators. Only my Chimera Crew members remained. They were shaken but resolved to stand their ground before Violet's oppressive pressure.

  As for me, I had listened enough to this spectacle. It seemed that Violet had further broken the Basilisk brothers' spirits by her mere presence—something to do with her being a [Queen]-type Venolisk. But that didn't make her any more powerful in front of me.

  Violet did not pay heed to me until our heads were pressed together, my small one against her giant face.

  "Where are they? Where are Denji and Diantha, Violet?!"

  Violet shot back a smirk. "What? You have a problem with me snatching away an infant and some noble? They're not even your people. Nope. They're the dear child and wife of your nemesis. Losing sight of what's more important to you can lead you astray."

  Her tongue slithered out in a mocking manner. She was sticking her tongue out at me while giving a playful wink. The sheer audacity of this devil.

  Though her audacity didn't shake me—it focused me.

  My ribbons stilled, no longer quivering with the need to lash, but drawn tight like blades sheathed against my shoulders. I knew Violet wanted to bait me, to tug me off my line with taunts. That was her rhythm. Disarm with cruelty dressed as mockery, then sink fangs where pain was deepest.

  I leaned forward into her enormous sneer, pressing my forehead to her scaled muzzle until the frost from my aura kissed her skin.

  "Denji and Diantha aren't bargaining chips, Violet. They're under my protection. And if you think for one second I'll let your games dictate their fate, you've mistaken me for prey."

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  Her eyes gleamed, too entertained to look offended.

  "Mmm. Bold words, flame. You wear them well. But tell me—what happens when their screams reach you from deeper in the Core? What will you do then? Abandon your precious tournament to chase them? Or win your little show here while they wither away where no one can hear them?"

  The crew shifted uncomfortably behind me.

  I didn’t look back at them—because I knew they were safe behind me. I held Violet's gaze, as my voice leveled with conviction.

  "I've already chosen. I will win. And I will retrieve them. You don't decide my priorities, Violet. I do."

  Her grin flickered. Just a crack, but enough. Predators like her lived on certainty, the certainty that their cruelty carved paths for others to stumble into. Showing her she hadn't unseated me stole that pleasure, even if only a hair.

  From behind, Vicious groaned where he lay sprawled, jaw crooked, glaring at her with the last of his pride.

  "Sister… stop pretending you're above us. You're nothing but—"

  He choked off as Violet's gaze snapped to him. Her tongue flicked once, lazy, but the effect was enough. He cowered, jaw snapping shut as if by instinct. Meanwhile, Vice, still bound in my frost, didn't even twitch.

  I turned my head, letting Violet see the sharpened edge of my stare. "You say you've evolved. Prove it. Tell me where they are. Otherwise, all I see is another serpent wrapping herself in lies, afraid I'll cut straight through."

  The crowd may have long since scattered, but the plaza's emptiness only made the silence heavier.

  I still felt how the frost hissed on Vice's coils, dust still settling from where Vicious had fallen. Every pair of eyes that remained—allies and enemies alike—watched to see who would give first.

  Violet's grin slowly returned, but this time it was thinner, more calculating than playful. "Careful, little flame. Press too hard, and you might burn bridges you didn't even know you were crossing."

  Her words curled like smoke, but I refused to breathe them in. "Bridges are meant for crossing. Not for letting snakes coil beneath."

  Her tongue flicked again, and this time her chuckle carried no mockery—only intrigue.

  "Hnh. You're dangerous when you stop playing fair. Good. I prefer my prey sharpened."

  Then, without warning, she pulled her massive head back, coils sliding with a hiss against the stone. The plaza seemed to exhale, though unease lingered like a film on the air.

  Suddenly, she paused, continuing, "Very well, KiAera... I'll give you a hint. Your Denji and your noble are not dead. Yet. If you want more than that—earn it. You will have to win this, or lose it all."

  Her eyes fell on me, her face grinning with fangs. "Kudos." With that, slithered into the dispersing crowd, her laughter echoing through the plaza's arches until even the shadows seemed to carry it.

  Now that had been settled. I let my frost dissolve, Vice crashing heavily to the stones. He glared, fury unquenched, but neither brother moved. Not now. Not after what had just unfolded.

  Only then did I finally glance back at my crew. "We hold the line in the tournament. But after that—we hunt."

  The weight of my words settled on them.

  None argued. Not Oath with her tears still fresh, not Skadi with her tail twitching in anticipation, not Dariel who lingered like a question mark still finding his place among us.

  Even the Rat King gave a solemn nod, crystal leg clicking once in solemn promise.

  I turned my gaze to the horizon, where the banners of the Sovereigns rippled like carrion flags over the city. Violet had given me a hint. But it wasn't hers to control where I struck next.

  This wasn't her game.

  It was mine.

  Before any of us could head out, a muffled roar from outside the plaza deepened, rolling through the stone like distant thunder. Somewhere above, a horn sounded—a long, sonorous note that made the braziers flicker. I was about to say something when Roarka's voice cut through the moment.

  "KiAera of the Chimera Crew!" she called out as she approached us. "My Sovereign, Shuten Doji, has declared that you and the Chimera's are to have an official audience with her."

  I noticed the Oni Sentinels marching toward us as well. At Roarka's side was the Sentinel Captain Oriona again, and there were far more Oni guards than before. Their gazes were fixed on me.

  Vice cackled. "Ahaha! Look at that! Now you've earned yourself trouble for harming us—!"

  He was silenced when Oriona pressed his head into the floor with her foot, not sparing him a glance.

  "Ah, I didn't see you there," she said, her voice hollow and devoid of any hint of apology. It warmed slightly when she addressed me. "KiAera of the Chimera Crew, by decree of the Sovereign, you will return with us. Crew included."

  "A trial?" I raised an eyebrow. However, I had already resigned myself to the challenge ahead.

  Oriona remained silent, merely pivoting on her heel, which pushed Vice's head further into the cracked floor. "Follow. She will have all our heads if we're even a moment late."