Chapter 110: If

Ephnel quietly watched the man in the darkness.

The man nervously held his gun, aiming at Ephnel.

The muzzle of the man’s gun moved slightly, and his body unconsciously retreated a little.

A warm, humid breeze slowly flowed between the two of them.

The man’s face was already covered in sweat.

He gripped the pistol tightly, enduring the immense pressure coming at him.

Before the mission began, Uzuki Saori had mentioned this young girl more than once, constantly emphasizing the need to “avoid her.”

Sakurai Sachi’s defeat had further confirmed Uzuki Saori’s words.

But what he had heard was ultimately not as real and profound as seeing it with his own eyes.

Now, the man finally understood why Uzuki Saori was so wary of the girl before him.

And unlike the nervous man, Ephnel appeared to be at ease.

“Those Erosion Organisms are your handiwork, aren’t they?”

Ephnel asked.

The man remained silent, seemingly with no intention of answering, but Ephnel already had the answer in her heart.

“Never mind, I’ll find out soon enough once I kill you… I’ll get straight to the point,” Ephnel held her long spear horizontally, the sharp tip pointing at the man.

She said, “Tell me your plan, and I’ll spare your life. Otherwise…”

Before she could finish, a gunshot interrupted her.

The man had pulled the trigger.

Compared to meaningless pre-battle negotiations, the man was more concerned about the punishment he would face if he failed here.

He, and his wife and daughter.

From the moment he noticed Ephnel’s arrival, he knew he had no way out.

Since there was no possibility of negotiation or compromise, he could only fight head-on.

Attacking while Ephnel was talking, catching her off guard, was his best chance of winning.

But he had miscalculated again.

The gunshot exploded between them.

As if she knew the trajectory of the man’s bullet, Ephnel shot out close to the ground at the same time the man fired, evading the bullet.

The man’s pupils constricted.

The moment the shell was ejected, he quickly pulled the trigger again.

This time, it missed again.

A large spark once again lit up his vision.

A long spear shimmering with silver light appeared before his eyes.

The sharp tip suddenly flicked upwards, severing his fingers.

Warm blood, along with the gun in his hand, rose in his vision, then landed not far away with a clatter.

“Aah—!”

The intense pain followed, and he let out a shrill cry through gritted teeth.

But he knew his time had run out.

He didn’t spare a glance at the pistol that had been sent flying.

Well-trained as he was, he instinctively drew the short knife hidden inside his clothes, but at this moment, Ephnel was already close.

Ephnel was more than two heads shorter than him.

In front of him, Ephnel was a complete child.

But he could only watch helplessly as Ephnel’s small fist grew larger in his vision.

Thump—

A dull thud traveled from his chin to his brain.

He could almost feel the vibration in his face, and then his vision went black, and his gaze uncontrollably tilted upwards.

With a thud, the man fell face down on the ground in front of Ephnel, losing consciousness.

The short knife fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

There was still no particular expression on Ephnel’s face.

She grabbed the back of the man’s collar, lifted the unconscious man, and connected with Yukina’s communication.

“Yukina, any new discoveries?”

“Not yet… Naoko, are you not injured?”

Yukina’s voice was filled with worry.

“I’ve caught the person.”

“Eh? So quickly?”

“Yes, wait for me where you are.”

“O-Okay!”

Yukina’s voice was suddenly cheerful.

Ephnel paused for a moment, then cut off the communication.

…

The high tower was the tallest building in this disaster area, and also the command system and regional control center.

Ephnel stood on the edge of the high tower’s roof, with Yukina standing by her side.

From time to time, Yukina would cast her gaze on Ephnel’s side profile.

The ground below the high tower became tiny.

Ephnel quietly waited, facing the cold night wind in the high altitude.

In her hand, she held a small black box.

Ephnel frowned as she examined it.

She had an impression of this box.

It was the one that had appeared in her preparation room, and inside were neatly arranged more than a dozen of the crystals that the Yanase couple had discovered.

The difference was that these crystals looked very clear and translucent, emitting a concerning kind of energy fluctuation.

There was no doubt that this box was the cause of the appearance of those Erosion Organisms, but Ephnel didn’t know exactly how to use it, and the man wouldn’t say anything.

The man’s hands were tied with scrap rebar, and he was thrown to the side, having been injected with an anesthetic.

Ephnel planned to take him to Fushihara Ayaka.

Perhaps Fushihara Ayaka could pry something out of his mouth.

Ephnel sighed and looked into the distance.

Under the night sky, large areas of the ground were already pitch-black, but this didn’t pose a serious obstacle for Ephnel.

She glanced far away, then lowered her head and looked at the time on her electronic bracelet.

A quarter of an hour had passed since the end of the battle, and no new Erosion Organisms had appeared yet.

Could it be confirmed that the man was indeed the culprit behind the appearance of the Erosion Organisms?

If that was the case, then the matter here could be considered resolved.

But…

Ephnel had a very bad feeling.

The appearance of this man, no matter how you looked at it, was just as a “consumable,” a tool specifically used to stall for time.

The situation was probably the same on Canary and Ayse’s side.

Their purpose in appearing was to divert the combat power of the Agents, or rather, to attract their attention.

So what was the “Apostles'” real goal?

Something was about to happen.

Behind the quiet night was a darkness deeper than the night sky.

The air was silent.

“Naoko…”

Just then, Yukina’s low voice suddenly came from beside Ephnel.

A pair of warm hands gently took her fingers.

Ephnel’s thoughts were interrupted.

She shifted her gaze, tilted her head up, and met a pair of clear eyes.

Yukina smiled at her.

“Thank you for your hard work in the battle! So… let me handle the surveillance mission! You go and rest for a while…”

“I’m fine, I’m not tired yet.”

Ephnel shook her head and looked up at her sister, who was a head taller than her.

She suddenly smiled.

With this height difference, from an outsider’s perspective, Yukina actually looked more like the older sister.

“What is Naoko smiling about?”

“Ah, nothing.” Ephnel responded to Yukina’s knuckles, gently intertwining their fingers.

She asked, “Yukina, if… I wasn’t Ephnel… would you still love me?”

…