Chapter 113: Uzuki Saori

The sound of the helicopter overhead came and went.

Finally, the sound of footsteps slowly drew near.

‘If those people find their way down here, I’ll have to enter a synchronized state to fight.’

‘But if I do that, the Order Organization will instantly lock onto my position through my synchronization wavelength.’

‘Not just the Special Disaster Division, but Agents will also come to apprehend me.’

‘At that point, I won’t be able to escape no matter what.’

But just then, a man’s voice came through her earpiece.

“Miss Uzuki, the garrison’s defense systems have been destroyed.”

“The rest is up to you.”

Uzuki Saori took a deep breath, gently laying Shiina Rin down.

She used a pair of handcuffs to lock Shiina Rin’s hand to a rusty water pipe nearby.

She placed a light kiss on Rin’s lips, then stood up and walked towards the stairs.

The silver light on her bracelet flickered in the pitch-black basement.

Immediately after, the hooded robe on her body vanished, replaced by an ornate combat uniform and a chain in her hand.

One end of the chain was held in her hand, coiled around her arm.

The other end was a sharp, palm-length blade.

This was Uzuki Saori’s Order weapon.

“Target spotted!”

Just as she reached ground level, three soldiers holding guns appeared before her.

“Don’t move! Hands up!”

Uzuki Saori glanced at them, her brow furrowing slightly as her gaze fell on the leading soldier’s armband.

‘So they’re not from the Special Disaster Division, but from headquarters…’

“Agent Lily, please disarm! I won’t harm you if you surrender now.”

The lead soldier shouted, the black barrel of his gun aimed at her.

“Otherwise, I will open fire.”

Uzuki Saori didn’t reply, instead taking two steps back.

Under the soldiers’ cautious eyes, she suddenly flickered and fled into the building.

“Tsk… d*mn it, after her!”

“W-wait! Captain! This is probably a trap!”

An Agent clashing with ordinary people in a confined space—the outcome was predictable.

But the soldier captain clenched his teeth and said loudly, “Even if it’s a trap, we can’t let her escape our sight! I’ll go after her!”

The captain turned and pointed to one man.

“You stay here and wait for reinforcements!”

He then pointed to another. “You circle around to the other side to block her. If you see her, shoot on sight!”

“Captain…”

“Execute your orders!”

“Yes, sir!”

The captain took off the night-vision goggles on his head, held his gun in front of him, and quickly gave chase.

This abandoned building seemed to have once been an apartment complex.

The hallway was lined with empty rooms, broken windows, and damaged doors.

The faint smell of dust filled the air.

The sound of footsteps that had been just ahead moments ago had suddenly vanished.

He slowed his pace, advancing cautiously with his gun raised.

A crisp sound suddenly echoed from ahead.

He instinctively raised his gun, but it was just an empty bottle.

In the instant he realized something was wrong, the wall beside him suddenly exploded.

Amidst the debris and dust, a petite figure flickered into view, bathed in a silver light.

Before the captain could even aim, the short blade precisely wedged itself under the trigger.

He was kicked in the back of the neck and fell to the ground without firing a single shot.

“Captain!?”

In the quiet air, thick with kicked-up dust, the call from the communication headset drifted through the air.

Uzuki Saori pursed her lips and glanced at the unconscious soldier on the ground.

In the end, her sharp blade did not fall.

She crouched down, removed the soldier’s headset and hung it around her own neck, then took the pistol from his belt.

“Helicopter has arrived, please report your situation…”

“Target is inside the building…”

“Team C in position…”

Quietly listening to the voices in the headset, Uzuki Saori turned and ran towards the stairwell.

She bounded up the stairs in two steps, bent her body slightly, and suddenly leaped out of the stairwell window.

The shattering glass reflected a blinding light in her eyes.

Above her head, a helicopter roared.

At that moment, the helicopter’s searchlight was scanning the upper floors of the building.

A silver light flashed beneath Uzuki Saori’s feet.

In two steps, she leaped high into the air.

As she flipped over, the chain in her hand shot towards the helicopter, latching onto its landing gear.

Unlike Ephnel, Uzuki Saori couldn’t use the “Stairway” ability multiple times in rapid succession.

In fact, most Agents couldn’t continuously use the Stairway to create an advantage in battle like Ephnel could.

But this didn’t mean Agents were easy to deal with.

Compared to ordinary people, an Agent’s individual capabilities were enough to crush a special forces team of dozens in a training ground full of obstacles.

What’s more, it was now a pitch-black night where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, allowing the Agent’s advantages to be fully displayed.

Pulled by the chain, Uzuki Saori rapidly closed in on the helicopter.

‘As long as I can get on the helicopter, the soldiers here will have a hard time stopping me.’

‘Besides, the bigger the commotion I cause here, the less likely Shiina Rin is to be discovered.’

‘After this fight is over, I will definitely take Rin and leave this place.’

‘We’ll find a place where we never have to fight again, and live as ordinary people.’

Click—

Uzuki Saori grabbed the landing gear with one hand.

Just then, the helicopter’s side door was pushed open.

Uzuki Saori swiftly swung her chain blade, thrusting it upwards.

But the expected sensation of hitting flesh never came.

Instead, there was the stiff, unnatural feeling of being tightly gripped.

Uzuki Saori raised her head, her expression changing slightly.

Silver hair danced in the night wind, and crimson pupils were as calm as a still well.

The little girl’s tender body was wrapped in a short dress as brilliant as the night sky.

Uzuki Saori’s chain was clenched tightly in the girl’s hand.

Ephnel looked down at Uzuki Saori, her face devoid of expression.

Uzuki Saori looked up at Ephnel, her eyes narrowing slightly.

‘I still ran into her, the one person I wanted to avoid the most…’

“I’ve been waiting for you for a while. Can we talk?”

Ephnel watched Uzuki Saori quietly, waiting for her answer.

But the answer she hoped for never came.

“Sorry…”

Uzuki Saori’s eyes were filled with complex emotions as she deliberately averted her gaze.

Ephnel wanted to say more, but her hand suddenly felt light.

The chain disappeared.

A silver light flashed in Uzuki Saori’s hand, and the chain had already returned to its master.

At the same time, she decisively let go, flipping downwards.

With a tap of her toes, she plummeted rapidly towards the ground.

The number of soldiers on the ground was gradually increasing, all of them raising their guns towards her.

“Hold your fire! Leave her to me!”

Ephnel’s voice came through their headsets.

After Uzuki Saori jumped, Ephnel immediately followed in pursuit.

“Saori, I know you can hear me.”

Uzuki Saori knew that last sentence was meant for her.

“Stop running. It was the same at the hospital yesterday. Why do you insist on avoiding me? I can guarantee your and Rin’s safety, so can we please sit down and talk? Don’t let this continue. ‘The Angel’ has already appeared. Once your hands are stained with blood, neither of us—not you, not me—will be able to turn back…”

Ephnel’s voice came from behind her and from the headset on her neck.

Uzuki Saori bit her lip, clenching her fists tightly.

Silver light flashed continuously under her feet as she fell straight towards the building below.

At the moment she was about to land, she aimed her chain at a streetlight.

In an instant, she forcibly changed her landing trajectory, swinging up again like a pendulum.

At the same time, she pulled out the pistol from her belt and fired at Ephnel who was in hot pursuit.

Bang! Bang!

Brilliant sparks flashed in front of Ephnel.

The piercing gunshots and fleeting flashes of light tore through the night sky.

Of course, an attack like this couldn’t harm Ephnel, but Uzuki Saori’s only intention was to put a little distance between them.

Putting away the pistol, the chain in Uzuki Saori’s hand vanished.

She allowed herself to be thrown through the air, crashing through glass and into an abandoned commercial building.

“All units, maintain distance from the target. Form a perimeter.”

Ephnel quickly issued the command, then leaped up as well, diving into the building through the same broken window.

“Saori! Stop this, while there’s still a chance to turn back!”

She shouted, but before her feet had even found solid ground, a streak of silver light appeared before her eyes.

It was a whip-like strike from Uzuki Saori.

Her spear couldn’t defend against such an attack.

Ephnel dodged to the side.

A long crack spread out from the darkness, and the ground at Ephnel’s feet was smashed to pieces in the next instant.