Ron glanced at Nesli. "You want to see how Tuck's battle with your comrades is going?"
"Sure, I can show you. But first, you have to agree to one condition."
"If your comrades fail and Tuck survives, you'll take your own life."
Nesli's pupils shrank. After a brief silence, she nodded. "All right. But aren't you worried I might go back on my word?"
"That's possible." Ron inclined his head. "But all trades carry risk. I'm not going to pass up an exchange just because there's a chance of betrayal. Besides, showing you these images doesn't cost me anything."
"How am I supposed to watch?"
Ron took another laptop out of his Sumass Space and had Chii adjust the feed before tossing it over to Nesli. She caught it and stared at the screen in shock at what she saw: her two comrades were making virtually no headway. One was constantly blocked by Karu's guards, still not managing to threaten Karu's life. The other, facing off against Tuck, was already in dire straits.
Which meant the mission had failed. At this point, there was no chance they could kill Karu. Their best option would be to retreat and save themselves. But if they ran, Tuck wouldn't be in any further danger…and that meant Nesli would have to die.
Her mind reeled. She wanted her comrades to run, but she didn't want to die either.
"I never imagined Tuck's power would be this strong… And I didn't expect Karu's subordinates to hold out so long. More than that, these two that Tuck hired…we had no intel on them whatsoever, yet one of them is incredibly powerful—stronger than Tuck by far. Where did he find them?"
Nightfall had informants among the kingdom's nobles. Whenever a job was funneled through aristocratic channels, Nightfall got advance warning. But Tuck had reached out to Ron through his own private connections, so Nesli and her group were caught unprepared. Worse, Ron was frighteningly strong. Without him, Nesli—who was the strongest among the three intruders—could have stalled Tuck just fine. Even if Tuck's strength grew over time, her interference would've bought enough of a window for the other two to kill Karu and escape. A simple plan that would've worked if not for Ron's appearance.
A massive crash echoed from the screen. The armored intruder was sent flying, slamming into the rubble so hard he half-sank into it. His armor was in tatters and deformed, smeared with blood. Tuck snorted coldly.
He lunged forward, aura surging around his fist as he leapt into the air, poised to strike the armored intruder a fatal blow. Critically injured, the intruder stood no chance against such an attack.
Then, in desperation, the scissor-wielding intruder lunged in, scissors flashing bright. Tuck flinched and dodged aside, forced to give up his finishing blow. The armored intruder gained a moment's respite, but any chance of killing Karu vanished. Realizing it, Karu burst out laughing.
"Nightfall? Elit Assassins? You worthless scum! You thought you could kill me? Keep dreaming!"
Still facing both intruders at once, Tuck showed no sign of faltering. One intruder was seriously wounded, and the other wasn't as strong to begin with. Against Tuck—who was only growing stronger the longer the fight dragged on—their odds looked grim.
Nesli's expression grew more anxious. "Go! Hurry up and run! It's over—why keep fighting? You'll both just die here…" She felt powerless. This outcome was the worst case for Nightfall: all three of them might die.
When Nesli cast a desperate glance Ron's way, she realized any move on her part was immediately met by Natsu shifting closer. It was hopeless.
"Damn it…" she muttered, clenching her fists. "Why is this happening? Why am I so weak?"
Again, one of the intruders was hurled through the air, blood spraying mid-flight. Karu's eyes glinted with madness.
"Perfect. Absolutely perfect!"
Nesli's mind raced. "What can I do? Is there any way to change this? I refuse to just stand by and watch. Is there really no way out?"
She looked to Ron. "I don't know what Tuck's paying you, but I'll give you ten times as much. Let me leave—I won't kill Karu, I just want to save my comrades."
Ron shook his head. "Sorry, no."
"Why? Isn't ten times the pay enough?"
"It's not about the money. It's about principle." Ron's voice was steady. "Your friends, Karu, none of that has anything to do with me. I'm simply doing my job. If you want a different outcome, you'll have to make it happen yourself—not rely on me."
Nesli's eyes shone red with anger. "How can you be so heartless? Do you even know what we're fighting for? We're not doing this for ourselves—we're trying to save a rotten country! You don't know the real Karu. We're the ones on the side of justice!"
Furious, she dashed toward Natsu. At the same time, another figure appeared behind Ron.