"That's just a scripted affection line," Kaito said tiredly.
Lyra whistled. "Not bad for a first pull. Could've been a slime."
"And the Artillery Mage?"
"Don't you dare go full haiku on me now," Kaito shouted, grabbing her arm and dragging her back toward Lyra.
"Plan," Kaito said. "Go."
That was the opening.
A woman peeked out. She had silver hair, goggles pushed up her forehead, and a mechanical arm crackling with blue runes. Her name hovered above her head in soft green letters: "I didn't choose to be here," Kaito said.
"Exorcist Blade has a 45-second cooldown," she said. "Please do not die within that window." The bridge was a collapsed ruin of stone and steel, barely held together by Lyra's quick-fix struts. Below, a river of molten mana flowed—instant death for anyone who fell. On the far side, the enemy advanced: ranked soldiers in black iron armor, their helmets shaped like snarling wolves. Behind them, a giant circled—the Artillery Mage, a hooded figure twice the height of a man, channeling a purple sphere of annihilation.
