Ran stepped forward, gripping Rex's sword in her own unique way. Rex stood beside her, holding his knife firmly despite his injuries. The two seemed to have reached a silent understanding - they would move together.

  Ran made the first move, swinging Rex's sword with lightning speed. The woman easily countered this attack, but Rex immediately followed, lunging with his knife toward a gap in the woman's defense. The woman retreated with incredible flexibility, and Rex's knife cut through air.

  "You fight in harmony," said the woman, narrowing her eyes. "But it's not enough."

  The woman suddenly lunged forward, swinging her sword toward Ran. Ran blocked it just in time, metal clashed against metal, sparks flying. The woman spun around and delivered a second blow, this time aimed at Rex. Despite his injuries, Rex managed to defend himself with his reflexes, using his knife to redirect the woman's sword and avoid danger.

  Cipher was watching tensely from the corner of the room. He was tightly holding the device he had used to infiltrate the system, his eyes never leaving the fight.

  "Be careful, Ran!" called Cipher, noticing an unexpected maneuver from the woman.

  Ran retreated with an agile movement, the woman's sword passing by her side. Rex seized the opportunity and lunged forward, swinging his knife toward the woman's abdomen. But the woman moved sideways as if she had anticipated Rex's move and grabbed his wrist. As she was about to strike with her sword, Ran rushed forward. With a single sharp movement, she threw Rex away from herself, throwing him toward Ran.

  Not having enough strength to catch Rex, Ran stepped aside. Rex collided hard with the wall and groaned in pain. Ran wanted to look back, but couldn't take her eyes off the woman. Now she was alone.

  "Now it's just you and me, fish," said the woman, threateningly pointing her sword at Ran.

  Ran took a deep breath. She strengthened her defensive position, holding the sword in front of her. "I'm not just a fish," she said, her voice low and determined.

  The woman suddenly lunged forward, her sword cutting through the air toward Ran. Ran met it, the two swords colliding violently. The woman made a rapid series of moves, each testing Ran's defense. Ran was struggling, but she resisted, managing to counter every move.

  A slight look of surprise appeared on the woman's face. "Good... Let's see if you can keep it up."

  Ran didn't respond, instead launching her own attack. She swung her sword toward the woman, making a series of quick and powerful moves. The woman countered each one, but Ran's strength had pushed her back several steps.

  On the other side of the room, Rex was trying to gather himself. His wounds were hurting, but he was struggling to get up. Cipher ran to his side to help.

  "Rex, are you okay?" whispered Cipher, concerned.

  Rex nodded, his eyes locked on the duel between Ran and the woman. "I need to help Ran," he said, groaning. Then he put his hand on Cipher's shoulder. "Trust me, Cipher. I won't let her use it on you."

  The duel between Ran and the woman was intensifying. Both were displaying their skills. There was a lack of experience in Ran's moves, but she made up for this gap with incredible strength and determination. The woman, with the perfect technique that came from years of training and experience, posed a deadly threat with each of her moves.

  Ran caught an opening on the woman's left side, where she was particularly fast, and swung her sword toward it. The woman barely blocked it, but Ran's strength made her stagger.

  "I've never seen a girl so strong before," said the woman, backing away.

  "I told you, I'm not just a fish," said Ran, her breath ragged. "And I'll do whatever it takes to survive."

  The woman smiled, but there was cold appreciation in this smile. "I see. Then let's end this game."

  The woman suddenly lunged forward, her sword moving as if at the speed of light. Ran tried to counter, but this new level of attack from the woman caught her unprepared. The woman's sword breached Ran's defense and cut her arm.

  Ran backed away in pain, holding her injured arm. Blood was seeping through her fingers. The woman didn't stop, delivering another series of fast and powerful blows. Ran was struggling to counter each move, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

  During one move, the woman's sword suddenly changed direction and breached Ran's defense, delivering a hard blow to her shoulder. Ran cried out in pain, losing her balance and falling to her knees.

  "Ran!" cried Cipher, with concern.

  Rex staggered away from Cipher, holding his knife firmly and heading toward the woman. Despite being injured, he was using his last strength to help.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The woman noticed Rex and was momentarily distracted. This was all Ran needed. She took a deep breath, gripped her sword with both hands, and closed her eyes.

  At that moment, something changed in the room. A slight breeze appeared in the air, as if an invisible force had been set in motion. Around Ran, water droplets, almost too fine to be noticed, began to appear, suspended in the air.

  The woman turned her attention back to Ran and noticed this change. Her eyes narrowed with curiosity. "What is this?"

  Ran opened her eyes. There was now a different expression in her eyes - deeper, more powerful, as if a power from the depths of the ocean. Holding her sword in front of her, she whispered, "Rán's Embrace."

  Suddenly, the water droplets in the air moved, beginning to form invisible nets around the woman. The woman looked around in surprise, feeling that she could move, but something was slowing her down.

  "What have you done?" said the woman, swinging her sword in the air, but every movement was as if she was doing it underwater - slow and strained.

  Ran lunged forward, swinging her sword toward the woman. The woman tried to counter, but her movements were no longer as fast and precise as before. Ran's sword breached the woman's defense and cut her shoulder.

  The woman backed away in pain, touching her wound. There was a mixture of surprise and anger in her eyes. "How is this possible?" she asked, more to herself.

  "I told you," said Ran, pointing at the woman with her sword. "I'm not just a fish. I'm a daughter of the Sea Mother."

  The woman tried to circle around Ran, but every movement seemed restricted as if by invisible nets. Ran swung her sword again, this time targeting the woman's other shoulder. The woman couldn't block it, the sword reached its target and opened a new wound.

  Rex and Cipher were watching, unable to believe their eyes. Around Ran, water droplets had become more visible, as if dancing under the influence of an invisible power.

  "Fascinating..." said Cipher.

  Rex nodded. He couldn't find a word to say.

  The woman had realized the seriousness of her situation. She was now on the defensive, every movement slowed by Ran's invisible water nets. Yet, in a final effort, she lunged forward, swinging her sword toward Ran.

  Ran moved to the side with an agile movement, the woman's sword passing by her. Ran spun around, directing her own sword toward the woman's back. The woman tried to counter by turning, but her movements were now too slow.

  Ran's sword easily breached the woman's defense, opening a long cut on her back. The woman staggered, falling to her knees. Her sword slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

  Ran pressed the tip of her sword against the woman's throat. The woman, her breath ragged, raised her head and looked at Ran. There was still defiance in her eyes, but she seemed to have accepted defeat.

  "Can you kill?" said the woman, her voice calm and determined.

  Ran hesitated for a moment, looking into the woman's eyes. Her sword trembled slightly, then she slowly lowered it.

  "No," said Ran. "I won't kill you. You will answer every question we ask."

  The woman smiled, but this smile was full of pain. "You don't know, do you? You don't even know who or what you're after."

  Rex and Cipher came to Ran's side. Rex was still injured, but he managed to stand.

  "What do you mean?" asked Rex, looking at the woman suspiciously.

  The woman fixed her eyes on Ran, her gaze piercing and evaluative. "You've meddled in affairs you shouldn't have... I didn't expect to see someone with Rán's love."

  A look of surprise appeared on Ran's face. "What are you talking about?"

  "The Sea Guardians... Legendary warriors. People chosen with special abilities blessed by the ocean goddess Rán," said the woman, her eyes on Ran. "But, you're not one of them... What are you doing here, fish, when you could be searching for Rán's Tears? Did you sense that one was nearby?"

  Ran backed away in surprise. She was trying to process what the woman was saying. "What... What are you saying?"

  "Have you never done strange things with water?" asked the woman, narrowing her eyes. "Unexplainable abilities? Haven't you heard the sea goddess calling you in dreams?"

  The expression on Ran's face showed that the woman had guessed correctly. She had always felt a special connection with water, but had thought it was just because she was half-fish.

  "Who... Who are you? How do you know these things!?" asked Ran, her voice trembling.

  The woman straightened up, still looking confident despite being injured. "My name is Seraphina. I'm a member of the Black Wave Cult. And my mission was to find and eliminate the last Sea Guardian. However, when I discovered the Mist Thieves with their bigger plans, I joined them."

  Rex stepped forward, holding his knife threateningly. "What is your purpose, tell us!"

  Seraphina gave Rex a cold look. "To remove the major obstacles in the way of our plans. To take control of Lotyana first, then Gradya, then the Seas, we had to deal with the queen and use the power of the crown for ourselves. The first two stages are complete, now only taking over Lotyana remains. It's impossible for you to stop this." She turned to Cipher. "Snake child, whatever you took from there won't do you any good."

  At that moment, the door crashed open again and its hinges creaked. The man entered, sweat dripping from his face, out of breath. His eyes first scanned the room, then fixed on the woman in front of Ran's sword — the woman who had caused one of his previous deaths. The look of shock on his face quickly turned to anger. His eyes narrowed, his large hands clenched into fists, and he gritted his teeth. Acting with a desire for revenge, he ran toward her uncontrollably to hit her. But just as he approached the woman, his fingertips almost touching Seraphina's clothes, the woman suddenly transformed into a gray cloud of mist. This vaporizing mist quickly flowed out through the window and door gap, leaving only a slight breeze behind.

  His punch had shattered the wooden floor with tremendous force. Small wooden splinters flew through the air as a deep crack appeared in the floor. The man slowly withdrew his wasted punch from the floor and quickly looked around. His eyes first went to Ran's face, then to the wound on her body. Then his gaze turned to Rex and he noticed with concern that he was also seriously injured.

  "Ran! Are you alright?"

  "I'm fine for now, sir, don't worry," said Ran, lightly holding her wound. "But Rex's condition is much more critical than mine, he needs urgent attention." She hesitated a bit. "Unfortunately, despite all my efforts, I failed to capture the woman and allowed her to escape. I'm truly sorry for my failure."

  "As long as you're alive, it's fine," he said before turning to Rex.

  "Don't worry boss, there's no wound Luna can't heal."

  The man slowly nodded with a serious expression. He knew it was time to put an end to this matter. "All of you, leave the factory immediately. I'll handle this issue. Don't worry about the way back, it's completely safe. Shade and I have neutralized all the guards and they no longer pose a threat. If you stay here any longer, the risks might increase for all of us."

  "What will you do, sir?"

  "I'll get the crown back... Somehow."