Chapter 349: The Boss Monster…

The district was still very much alive.

Groups of people moved through the streets in every direction. Some were arriving for later showings of the film while others lingered outside the theater entrances, animatedly discussing what they had just watched. Snippets of conversation drifted through the night air wherever one listened.

“That final dagger move was ridiculous.”

“I’m telling you, Sophie would have crushed him.”

“No chance. Bruce was barely trying.”

“You saw the thirty versus one fight. No one moves like that unless they’re hiding something.”

The excitement from the premiere had not faded at all. If anything, it had only grown stronger as the crowds spilled into the streets.

Bruce walked at an easy pace beside Lucy, his hands resting comfortably in his coat pockets as he listened absently to the surrounding chatter. Sophie walked just behind them, her calm gaze moving quietly across the busy street as though observing the city from a distance rather than participating in its noise.

Lily, however, had already bounded several steps ahead of the group.

Her small boots tapped quickly against the cobbled road as she skipped forward through the lantern light, her excitement from the movie clearly refusing to settle down.

Then suddenly. she stopped.

Right in the middle of the street.

Bruce slowed slightly when he saw her freeze like that.

Lily turned around slowly.

Very dramatically.

Then she raised one hand in front of her chest, fingers curled as though gripping an invisible dagger.

Bruce immediately recognized the stance.

It was unmistakable.

His stance from the movie.

Lily narrowed her eyes with exaggerated intensity, trying to imitate the cold focus she had seen on the screen earlier that evening.

“I am number one,” she declared.

Then she slashed the air fiercely with her imaginary dagger.

Ash, who had been lazily gliding beside them moments earlier, instantly perked up. The little dragon fluttered excitedly around Lily’s head, clearly sensing that some form of game or battle had begun.

“RAAAH!” Lily shouted.

She leaped forward suddenly, spinning across the lantern lit street as though dodging invisible attacks.

Bruce watched the performance quietly.

Then a quiet chuckle escaped him.

Sophie folded her arms as she observed the scene, the corner of her lips lifting into a faint smile that softened her otherwise composed expression.

Lucy, on the other hand, had already raised a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly.

“Did you see that?” Lily announced proudly, straightening up as if she had just completed an important demonstration. “That was the thirty versus one fight!”

She pointed dramatically toward Bruce.

“You stand there!”

Bruce raised one eyebrow.

“I stand there?”

“Yes!” Lily insisted, nodding vigorously.

“You’re the boss monster!”

Lucy could no longer hold back her laughter.

“A boss monster?” she repeated, clearly delighted by the idea.

Bruce sighed helplessly.

Sophie stepped a little closer to him and leaned toward his shoulder, lowering her voice just enough that only he could hear.

“You did kind of look like one.”

Bruce turned his head slightly toward her.

“You’re enjoying this.”

“Very much.”

Meanwhile Lily had already begun the reenactment properly.

She rushed forward again, gripping her imaginary daggers as she zigzagged across the street with great determination.

“First guy comes like this!” she said, lunging forward dramatically.

She swung her invisible weapon through the air.

“I dodge!”

She dropped low, ducking beneath an imaginary strike before spinning around with surprising enthusiasm.

Ash followed her movements as though he had been cast in the scene himself. The dragon swooped through the air above her head, chirping loudly as he darted left and right, occasionally diving as if attacking invisible enemies alongside her.

“Then BAM!” Lily shouted triumphantly.

She jumped forward and lightly tapped Bruce’s coat with two fingers.

“You’re dead!”

Bruce looked down at her.

“Am I?”

She nodded with complete certainty.

“Very dead.”

Lucy leaned against a nearby lantern post as laughter finally escaped her in full.

“I think the movie made a strong impression,” she said between breaths.

Sophie’s quiet laughter joined hers, though hers was far more restrained.

Lily, however, had not yet finished her performance.

She spun once more, dispatching a few final invisible enemies with wild enthusiasm before finally slowing to a stop. After a moment she planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks proudly.

“I win.”

Bruce nodded with exaggerated seriousness.

“A flawless victory.”

The praise clearly pleased her.

Lily grinned brightly and finally skipped back toward them, the energy from her short “battle” still bouncing through her small steps.

Ash fluttered down and landed neatly on Bruce’s shoulder again, giving a satisfied chirp as though approving the outcome of the fight.

Around them the theater district continued buzzing with life.

But for that small moment beneath the lantern lit street. Bruce simply watched Lily’s bright smile as she rejoined them.

And the quiet warmth in his chest deepened just a little more.

And the quiet warmth in his chest deepened just a little more.

The group continued walking through the lively streets, gradually leaving the theater district behind as the energy of the premiere slowly faded into the background. The further they moved from the glowing lantern clusters and excited crowds, the calmer the night became. The loud debates about the movie softened into distant echoes, replaced by the quieter sounds of the city settling into its evening rhythm.

After a few more minutes of walking, Bruce raised his hand slightly toward the street.

A sleek mana automobile taxi glided to a smooth stop beside the curb, its polished metal frame reflecting the soft glow of the surrounding lanterns. Thin streams of faint blue mana light pulsed gently along the vehicle’s edges, humming quietly with contained energy.

The driver leaned slightly out of the window.

“Where to?”

Bruce told him their address.

Moments later the door slid open with a soft mechanical whisper.

They climbed inside.

The moment the door of the taxi closed, the mana powered engine awakened with a low vibration.

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