It was much simpler getting out of the mansion than getting in. We retraced our steps and circumvented the same traps and security devices. I’d never pictured myself breaking into a place like this when I joined the Brass Kings. Fistfights, defacing property, atypical motorcycle gang life.

We reached the gate, and Kayson's phones started ringing. He answered it and gave a strange look before handing it to me.

“Luca.” Tristan’s voice stabbed through the phone. “What do you know about the Segreto?”

“I don’t know a fucking thing. Hand my brother over and quit this shit.” I yelled, sight without a care in the world for the fact we were still on this psycho’s lawn. Maybe I’d gotten a little too cocky since nothing went wrong so far—but hell, part of me wanted him to know what we’d done.

“Then why are they swarming around and getting into Brass King’s business? Did you go to someone? Are you a rat for the Segreto? Come now, I offered you a fair deal to get your brother back, and you’ve turned around and involved them? Did you know you have that Sect tracking you down as well? You keep attracting trouble, Luca. But I’d never thought you’d be the sort of street rat to cower behind a dog. The Viceroy is displeased.”

“Oh? And is she happy ya fucking led your goons into my Ma’s house and stole my fucking brother? Ya started all this shit, asshole! I’m going to track ya down and bash your face in for all the bullshit ya put me through. Then when I’m done, I’m going to tear up each piece of your creepy fucking book and force it down your throat—“ Kayson tensed as I threw our trump card out. I hadn’t meant to say it, but the words kept pouring out of me on their own.

I was greeted with silence; the phone shook in my hand. For half a second, I thought the call had dropped.

“What do you mean my ‘fucking book.’”

“Ya fucking deaf? Your creepy little journal. I don’t want anything to do with ya—give me Alex back.”

“New proposal. You’ve committed many grievous mistakes tonight. The Brass Kings cannot afford you and your squad running around stirring up any more trouble. Sects, Segreto, and other street gangs. It’s like you’re on a warpath to try to piss everyone off—so I propose this. We have a duel—you and me. I’ll bring your brother with me as an act of good faith, you bring my journal. We’ll have a Knight and your Captain oversee it. Loser leaves the Brass Kings.”

“How do I know ya aint pulling shit like ya tried before. Kayson called ya trying to trap us.”

“You attacked a vital Brass King asset—“

“Ya stole my fucking brother!”

“—I was simply doing my job. Crimson Eagles raided your property, and I seized them and took possession of your brother. After that, you attacked and freed my Alchemist, and I did my best to apprehend you for justice. But that’s all behind us now. The Viceroy is breathing down my neck and wants this solved before the Crimson Eagles smell blood in the water.” His voice shifted to a cold neutral tone, trying to bury that note of panic I’d sensed earlier. “A duel is the most straightforward solution. It’s clear there’s bad blood between us that can only be solved in one way.”

“Fine.” I hung up the phone, walking off in a fit of anger.

A bell erupted as I triggered a formation. One long haunting sound spread like fire over the open ground. I tensed, eyes wide as I looked at Kayson and Eve. Eve threw a hand on her forehead. “Why do you always fuck up?” she asked.

Kayson sprinted towards the gate. Parts of the lawn took on a dull blue glow as the spacial formation activated; angry spirit beasts howled into the night. Eve swore, close behind our Lieutenant. But I was too slow on my feet—too worn and frazzled from the conversation to react quickly. A massive coiling white serpent appeared on the lawn, along with an oversized gator.

I tried my best to catch up, but I lagged as Eve and Kayson hit the gate, but it was frozen shut. Reacting quick, Kayson lifted Eve over his shoulders, and she tumbled over the top to be caught by Bruno on the other side.

The spirit beasts lazily moved in our direction, and a heavy pressure filled the air. Unlike humans, who naturally kept it hidden, these beasts had no way to suppress their cultivation. We only really pressed our spiritual pressure outward when we willed it. With that in mind, the heavy feeling in the air told me these creatures were far out of my league. “Go, Luca. Get on my shoulders, and I’ll lift you over.” Kayson commanded.

He had no way of getting out of here when shit went sideways. I’d been the one to cause this.

I shook my head. “I aint going. Ya know I’m more stubborn than ya. So go. I’ll lift ya. Go save my brother—your plans are better anyway, but if anyone has the slimmest chance against these things, it’s me. Not you.”

“Luca—“

“We aint got time to argue; Immortals be damned! Go!” I yelled at him. I got to my knee and folded my hands to lift. I threw voice into my voice—it cracked as I took a look at the maw of the giant gator headed my way. Kayson folded under my command, and I hoisted him over—only for Bruno to catch him. Then I turned to face the consequences of my actions.

I’d been fucking dumb. A bit of a sadistic streak in me laughed at the idea that my end would come at the hands of spirit beasts. After all the trouble I’d gotten myself into, I pictured myself going out with either a knife wound or being dragged to some shallow grave and shot in the head, some sort of run of bad luck.

The serpent arrived first as it slithered over the lawn with surprising speed. It reared back its head. I didn’t wait any longer—pushing my Soul Seed and Manifesting Fickle Fate. Only for a single crow to appear. Of course. My luck would turn to shit right now. The serpent tilted its head as it regarded the crow on my shoulder—before the bird darted quickly forward with a single powerful burst of its wings.

There was a loud slam from the gate. I only could take a glance for a second. Bruno was hammering into it from the other side, and his hands lit with a fire growing more intense by the second. But there wasn’t any time to spare to watch; instead, I did my best to put distance between me and the serpent, letting the distraction of my Soul buy me time. It took a lazy snap at the crow, but Fickle Fate narrowly swooped away.

The second I put enough distance to be safe from the serpent, the gator barreled at me, violating the slow gait it’d presented before. I’d lost sight of it in my focus on directing my Soul to harass the serpent.

My eyes went wide as it covered grown in a single bound—its jaws wide as it hurled through the air. Fuck. One chance. Time slowed; there was no conventional way to duck out of the way of those teeth. My hand brushed along the side of its jaw, the slick texture of the scales barely perceptible as I called on Fickle Fate. Sparks of red erupted in a shower from our point of contact.

There was a sound behind me, and I ducked. I knew that with the croc’s current trajectory, It’d crush me. But it was better than getting pierced with a snake’s fang. The serpent shot forward through the space my head had been, slamming into the croc’s jaw. It bit into other spirit beast's head. It was a miracle that the serpent hit with enough force to shift the gator’s landing spot.

There was barely a second to slip out from beneath the fighting before the beasts crushed me in their violent struggle.

The croc’s tail lashed forward, and one claw dug into the face of the serpent as it tried to dislodge itself in vain. Instead of hitting the serpent, the tail clipped me. I sprang back onto the ground as the hit forced all the air out of my lungs. All it took was a single fucking tail flick to send me tumbling.

I groaned. When I managed to get my head back up, the Croc had flipped the Serpent’s advantage but lost an eye in the process. It had the Serpent lodged in its mouth and was biting down with those powerful jaws as it tried to maneuver itself for a death spiral, A move that would tear the serpent apart. But the other spirit beast wasn’t a fool and desperately coiled around the croc to prevent the move.

In the background, the sounds of grating metal and intense hammering turned my gaze from the beast fight. The gate smashed open, and Bruno huffed in the open entryway, flames coating his entire body.

I wasn’t the only one to break my concentration by the sudden noise. The spirit beasts retracted from fighting, trying to evaluate if another threat had entered the arena. I didn’t want to wait for them to reengage. I jerked to my feet and made a run for the gate. Based on the sounds behind me, the spirit beasts had a similar idea. The only reason I outraced them was due to the injuries they’d inflicted on another. Bruno lumbered onto his bike ahead of me—the flames started to smother. The rest were already on their bikes; we all knew it was time to get the fuck out.

In a second, I hopped on my bike, revved the engine, and peeled away with my squad as two giant spirit beasts broke free into the tourist district of New Valentine during the Lantern Festival. I could only hope one of the Sects would notice them fast enough before the creatures crashed into some festival party and hurt someone.