Chapter 42: Second Match (10)

Eve gritted her teeth and stiffened her face. She grabbed her sword with her right hand and raised it horizontally.

And then…

Nothing happened.

What the?

She got into position like she was about to unleash some deadly ultimate move…

Why is she just standing there doing nothing?

No, more importantly, I dug up an old memory and even gave her a compliment, so why the hell is she acting like this?

If I say someone who used to be weak is finally decent now, shouldn’t that bring tears to their eyes, make them give up the

fight and join our side or something? Isn’t that the normal reaction?

Well, it’s not like I can figure it out just by thinking to myself.

Then what?

Screw it. I’ll just ask her directly, even if it’s awkward.

Better than going crazy from wondering.

“Eve. Why exactly are you angry right now?”

“…What?”

“Weren’t you mad because back when I was active, I basically ignored you and didn’t pay attention? So now that I’m

finally recognizing your skill, shouldn’t you be relieved or happy or something? I don’t get why you’re more pissed off

instead.”

“You too?’ The way you said ‘you too’—makes me think you tried sweet-talking the other QPD members the same

Crap. That was a mistake.

“When you say ‘the other QPD’, the only one you probably talked to is Cabi. Did Cabi say something like, ‘I was hurt

because my captain was cold to me,’ and now that I’m giving her attention she’s so grateful she doesn’t know what to do

with herself?”

“No, she didn’t say it like that exactly, but…”

“You really are shameless. Absolutely shameless. It’s hard to believe there’s even a human brain inside that scheming

head of yours.”

shouldn’t have asked.

I didn’t get the answer I wanted, and now she’s even angrier.

But instead of going completely silent like I feared, Eve unexpectedly started spilling way more than I asked for.

“You’re right. Three years ago, I was such a weak and pathetic idiot that I’d be thrilled just to get a single word from our

great Captain Leilia. And now you’re all smug because you finally said what I wanted to hear?”

Her voice was laced with a quiet fury. She was so consumed by her emotions, she didn’t seem to hear a word I said.

“Then one day, out of nowhere, you decided to spar with me and teach me how to move forward. I was overjoyed. I

seriously thought that if I completed all the assignments you gave me, maybe I could stand next to the great Leilia and

fight as your comrade. Haha. What a stupid dream that was.”

At that moment, her sword began to change.

No—rather than change, it was more like… disappearing.

Her sword is breaking apart.

The 1.5-yard (about 1.37m) long sword that had worked perfectly until now began to crumble from the tip, glowing yellow

as it fell apart.

But if it was really breaking, you’d expect to see metal dust hit the ground or something—but strangely, nothing was left

behind. It was like it melted into the air.

“And then, one day, while I was working myself to the bone, training so hard my bones shattered and muscles melted just

to be a proper QPD member—you just disappeared.

You didn’t give anyone a heads-up. Not even a note or message. You just… vanished.

Like the time you spent with us in QPD meant nothing to you.”

Her sword started disintegrating faster and was nearly half gone now.

What the hell is this? Why is it evaporating? What happens when it’s all gone?

Wait. On the day I left the Kyro Society, didn’t I run into Cabi and talk to her? Did she seriously not tell anyone else?

Of course, I never explained why I was leaving or how much I cared about them or anything like that.

But I thought maybe she at least mentioned running into me to the others.

Were they not even close enough to share something like that?

Usually, if the commander’s cold like I was, the lower ranks stick together and gossip about it behind your back, don’t

they?

 too late to figure that out now.

“You know what was worse than you vanishing? How the others reacted.

Cabi had the most complaints about you and seemed the most interested. But when you left, she didn’t say a thing.

Betty, who barely spoke to begin with, just got even quieter after the strongest one left.

And Millie? She was just happy to snatch the captain position for herself.”

I honestly don’t remember what the other four in QPD were like, but yeah, from what I do recall, that sounds about right.

Maybe the only difference is, if Cabi hadn’t seen me the day I left, she’d have been the one to throw the biggest tantrum.

“At first, I was confused—maybe the others were normal and I was the weird one. But I pulled myself together and

endured it.

Figured I’d never see you again.

Might as well just drop dead in the street somewhere.

Though with your skills, I doubt you’d die that easily.”

Hold on a second. After all that, doesn’t this mean she’s actually happy to see me again?

Eve just dumped all that history on me. Bottom line: she was sad I left QPD, and confused why the others weren’t.

So why the hell did she get angry when I complimented her?

Eve didn’t answer. She just stared at me with empty eyes.

Her sword had fully vanished now, leaving only the pommel and handle.

“Leilia. I’m not a stupid idiot.”

Swish.

She reversed the useless handle in her hands and held it out in front of her with both hands.

“That line—‘you’ve gotten pretty good, you’re doing your part as a QPD’—that sweet little whisper?

Six months ago, it might’ve shaken me.

But I’m not so young anymore that I can’t tell the difference between a lie and the truth someone says just to get through

a tough situation.”

She figured out I was just trying to calm her down with nice words.

Totally backfired.

“Whether I’ve grown or not isn’t up to your tongue to decide.

It’s something I have to prove for myself.”

Yeah, that’s something I told her in the past.

And now she’s throwing it back at me.

Guess it’s poetic, in a way.

“That’s why I’ll kill you with my own hands and end this long, twisted fate between us.

Look closely!

This is the true power of the one called Raab!”

Eve, who never used to raise her voice, now shouted with terrifying force.

And then—

A faint metallic sound.

And all the light in the world vanished.

What the—

What I was seeing felt like…

The same sensation as when I power down my eye implants.

Nothing remained—just complete darkness.

Normally, the human eye has such strong peripheral awareness of light that it’s hard to experience true darkness.

Even in the countryside at night, there’s moonlight or starlight.

And this is Haven City, with light pollution 24/7.

Besides, it’s broad daylight right now in Zone 4—the most populated area in the whole city.

There’s no way it should’ve gone dark.

So did I somehow get transported to a different space using some unknown tech?

Scrape.

I dragged my shoe along the ground.

Yep, that was definitely asphalt.

I’m still standing on Bridge 3.

Then I have to figure out why this place went dark—

But my question didn’t last long.

Out of the absolute darkness—

Eve burst into light, like she alone was shining enough to engulf the whole world.

No—this light in the shape of Eve stood proudly and looked straight at me.

[No one who’s seen this darkness has ever survived.]

Behind her—no, behind the glowing figure that was barely still human—

a massive brass scale floated in the air.

A single coin appeared from thin air and dropped onto one side of the scale.

With a heavy clank, the scale tilted, then returned to balance like nothing happened.

[A single breath, a handful of life.]

Even though Eve’s body was now just a glowing mass of light, her broken sword handle clearly extended into a bright

blade of light.

[Die.]

She was no longer human.

Something otherworldly now rushed at me, wielding a blade of divine light.

How many people must’ve been helplessly cut down by something like this?

A force that seemed impossible to block or dodge—like divine judgment.

Most people probably wouldn’t even realize what hit them.

Just—head gone, body hits the ground.

And yeah—this attack from Eve felt powerful enough to do that.

Not just manipulating energy—it was absorbing light itself from the entire space.

But even so—

“Too slow.”

Eve’s attack was way too slow.

That massive, radiant sword she’d created didn’t even graze me.

Instead, it smashed into the asphalt and split it apart.

Crackle.

Fragments of shattered road flew through the air, reflecting her light at strange angles.

[…How?]

That voice—full of disbelief—came from the formless light that was once Eve.

“You really still need me to spell it out for you after turning into that? Figure it out yourself already.”

Contrary to my expectation that she’d get angry and charge again, Eve backed off slightly.

[Again.]

This time, two translucent coins appeared and fell onto the scale.

[A single breath, a scoop of life.]

Her body, which had already looked blindingly bright, now flared up three times as brilliantly.