Realizing this, the tension shifted completely, and one of the men with a scar on his face began to explain the situation. He said the empire lives in constant war, leaving behind a trail of destruction and abandonment, which creates a huge number of orphans. Without identity or a future, these children end up living in alleys, surviving however they can.
Over time, some of them grew up and formed the Shang Wei group, a brotherhood created to protect these children and teach them how to survive in that cruel world. The problem was that as the group grew, other factions in the alleys began to see them as a threat. Because they were mostly made up of children, they became targets, and a war broke out. The former leader died trying to protect everyone, and that was when the current leader found that strange glove with powers. Thanks to this monstrous weapon, they had managed to survive until now.
Even after hearing all this, Yuta was not convinced, and said it sounded like a made up story, asking about the money again. But this time Ash made a different decision, and said she would help them, explaining that just because they live in the alleys does not mean they have to remain in the darkness forever, and that they can build a better place to live.
Yuta found this attitude strange, not understanding why Ash was so involved. But before the situation could escalate, someone returned to the hideout and was shocked by what was happening. The vice leader tried to calm things down, asking for respect first and for everyone to listen to what they had to say, suggesting that something even bigger might be behind all of this.
Meanwhile, the group's leader had managed to hold off the enemies, taking advantage of the monstrous weapon, a gauntlet that blinded anyone who got too close. After taking down yet another opponent with her knife, she was still completely surrounded, making it clear that she would not let anyone lay a hand on Shang Wei's children.
On the other side, there was a temporary alliance between alley craftsmen, the black market, traffickers, and mercenaries. One of them remarked that she was holding out longer than expected. Another added that in truth she had already lived longer than she should have, considering what she was. At that moment, the big brute she had just stabbed simply stood back up, saying it was nothing, before knocking her down with a heavy punch.
A legitimate merchant mocked her, saying he had expected more from orphans who survived the empire, and that if the leader was worthless, then the rest were too. He ordered her to hand over the strange weapon in exchange for her life, even assuring her they would not kill the children, since they intended to sell them as imperial slaves on the artisan street. Meanwhile, the brute took the opportunity to steal her money. Surprised by how much he found, the Shang Wei leader, already out of strength, felt her body no longer responding, and realized she could not let those children fall into their hands.
The apparent leader of the group added that they would take the weapon after finishing off the rest of Shang Wei, dividing the children equally, while another commented on how impossible it was to imagine a normal life living in the alleys.
She remembered everything she had been through in that place, being enslaved, ridiculed, and rejected when she tried to find honest work, simply for being an orphan of the empire, someone who grew up belonging nowhere. Even so, together with the family she had built, they had managed to find happiness, chasing the dream of a normal life. It had finally seemed like they had found a place to belong, until all of this happened. In that moment, she realized she could no longer keep up with her children, and understood that this was her limit.
Just as the brute prepared to end it all, Ash appeared and tore him apart in seconds.
Ash asked if she was the leader of the children, while the chief could barely believe what had just happened. Then Ash commented that she had lost too much blood because of the weapon, and did not even know how to use it properly. Snatching the gauntlet from her hand without ceremony, she made it clear that the priority now was recovering the stolen money, and that those men would pay with interest.
The rest of Shang Wei arrived to rescue their leader, who, still confused, asked who those people defeating the enemies were. The vice leader explained that they were veterans. One of the mercenaries doubted that just three of them could handle everyone, but Banzon Packard easily dodged his attack, saying his swordsmanship was pathetic, and confidently replied that three were more than enough. Right after, he launched a magical missile that struck the mercenary head-on, sending him flying.
Ash then advanced with the gauntlet, while the mercenary still believed she would not do anything without a real weapon. But mid-air, she activated the true power of the monstrous weapon, and all the enemies' weapons were ripped away from them, spinning around her like a magnetic aura. With that, Ash declared she now had everything she needed, and in the next instant she began cutting down the disarmed mercenaries as they tried to reclaim their weapons.
The Shang Wei leader could only think about how everything was happening too fast for her eyes, unable to believe someone that strong existed on the artisan street. She wondered if that was the true power of the weapon she had failed to use.
One of the mercenaries recognized Ash and the yellow-eyed girl, questioning the reason for the attack and saying they should be allies, accusing them of disrespecting the rules of the place. Yuta replied that she had never heard of such rules, and made it clear that the moment they touched her money, the only possible outcome was death. The mercenary tried to justify himself, saying he had only been hired, but was still struck down by a long-range hammer blow.
One of the elves involved asked why they were doing this to them, and Ash bluntly replied that she hated people like them. She explained that whenever a child with potential appeared, they dragged them into that world, staining their hands with blood, sold them to the empire, and made them believe they could never escape, as if there were no hope. To her, those children did not belong in the alleys. They were no different from anyone else, and deserved to chase their own dreams.
Right after, she used the technique of a thousand flaming arms. Seeing that, the current Shang Wei leader remembered the former chief and his words about dreams and paths, beginning to wonder if people like them could ever reach something like that.