Chapter 39 : Urban Monsters

Staring limply at him, I dropped my head and spoke.

“Mock me all you want.
The fool who got played is stupid.
I know.
I shouldn’t have trusted someone like you.”

“You seem to misunderstand.
I didn’t leak the information.”

“…Don’t make me laugh.
Think I’ll fall for that shameless lie?
If not you, who else?”

The Reaper leaned close, meeting my eyes.

“Then let me ask you.
If I were the culprit, why would I spare you and talk like this?”

“That’s…”

“You still have use.
You haven’t fulfilled our contract yet.
So, you can’t collapse now.”

Was it really not him?
Then who…?

“Right now, I’m in a bit of a bind too.
I covered up your crime, so if I’m caught, my head’ll roll.”

“…What do you want me to do?
Everything’s already ruined, beyond fixing.
It’s all my fault.”

“If you truly believe that, then take responsibility and fix it.”

He spoke so easily, like it wasn’t his problem.
No, didn’t he say his neck was on the line too?
Yet he sounded so carefree.
Clearly, a screw loose.

But if, by some chance…
If, as he said, I could take responsibility and fix everything.
If I could undo it all.

I’d sell my soul to the devil.
I’d lick his boots to beg for help.

“…Is there some way?”

“Cause a commotion.
Create a maelstrom of chaos and fear, so overwhelming that catching the murderer becomes irrelevant.”

“What’s the point?
We’ll die anyway.”

“Others, besides you, might survive.”

“…”

A drastic remedy.

Too late to restore normalcy, so wreck it further, burying the core issue.
Like smearing a canvas pitch-black, making everything indistinguishable.

Would it work?
It might make things worse.

But in this rock-bottom state, was worrying about worse even meaningful?

Ruby’s survival, and Red Dog’s, was uncertain.
If I was the only one left, I had no reason to keep living.

“There’s another option.
I’m planning to leave Neotopia and lie low for a while.
If you want, I’ll take you along—for a fitting price, of course.”

Abandon the city and family to survive, or stay and become a monster.

“Whatever you choose, it’s your freedom.
So, what’ll it be?”

My choice was obvious.

“Get lost.
I don’t need your help anymore.”

“I see.
That’s your choice.
Understood.”

With an unsettling smile, he bowed slightly, bidding farewell.

“Well, time to go.
I hope the hellfire you walk through is warm.”

Real charming thanks.

Even after the Reaper left, I sat dazed, slumped on the ground.

Nothing had changed really.
My swollen feet lacked strength, and my heavy eyelids threatened to close.

Ugh, I just can’t.

Hitting my limit, unable to move a finger, I craved to surrender to sleep’s pull.

Ring—

A call chime rang in my ear.
Seeing the caller’s name, I sprang up, eyes wide.

“Ruby!!!”

Finally, a connection, after dozens of unanswered calls.

But the voice on the other end wasn’t what I expected.

[Oh.
Still alive, Lapis?]

“…Spade?”

Hearing an unexpected voice through Ruby’s line, I panicked.

Caught up in the chaos since Karen’s kidnapping, I hadn’t noticed.
Spade, supposedly escorting her, hadn’t shown up once.
Simultaneously, a sharp dread hit my heart.

Then, I understood—the source of today’s events, the ** unease** I felt around him.

“You…
It was you?”

[Hm.
Guess Mary and Franklin didn’t tell you?
Well, things were hectic, so that makes sense.]

“Why, why…?”

No, that wasn’t important now.
More urgent was how this damn traitor called using Ruby’s name.

“Where’s my sister?”

[Your escape complicated things.
Red Dog’s just a side issue.
Ikazuchi won’t be satisfied until you, the culprit, are caught.]

“If you touch a hair on Ruby, I’ll kill you.”

[That’s scary.
Want your sister back?
Come to the trash incinerator.
I’ll be waiting, so don’t be late.]

Click.

The call ended, and I immediately moved.

“Heh!
Hey!
Where’re you rushing to?
I heard the rumors.
Just crawl into my arms and whine, and you won’t starve—”

BANG!!

Thud.

I shot the thug blocking my path.
No time to argue with trash like him.

“You crazy b*tch!!”

“Life’s ruined, so you’ve lost all sense, huh!?”

The scum who giggled behind me now barked pathetically.

“You’re right.
So don’t pick a fight and get lost.
Unless you wanna tangle with a Stoner, I won’t stop you.”

“Tch…!”

They didn’t know I lacked a Stone.
When I wallowed weakly, they bared teeth, but when I acted strong, they fled.

Not surprising.
This neighborhood, no, Neotopia itself, was like this.

Ignoring the scared stares, I kept walking.
Moving mindlessly, step by step.

And so, I returned to Karen’s side.

“…I’m sorry.”

I begged forgiveness.

For failing to honor her final wish to leave the city and live happily.

But my master would understand.
Sighing, she’d still smile and ruffle my hair.

So it’s okay.

I’m okay.

“…”

Abandon the city and family to survive, or stay and become a monster.

*‘Remember.
Power you can’t handle will drive you to ruin someday.
The more you rely on the ring, the unhappier your end will be.’

Lycan’s old words resurfaced.

Ruin?
That’s what I wanted.

Look at the mess of this day without the ring.
Stone or not, my wretched fate was screwed either way.

I’m done.

If I must fall to ruin, I’ll drag you all down with me.

I took the ring from Karen’s hand, slipped it on, and grabbed the Stone from her neck, equipping it.

Two at once.

With a bitter, self-mocking smile, I connected the Stone and connector.

Crackle.

The incinerator’s searing heat shimmered the *air.

Spade, staring at the tied-up girl, chuckled dryly.

“Didn’t know you were this tough.”

Around Ruby, men in suits lay fallen.
The result of her fiercer-than-expected resistance during her *kidnapping.

Pinpoint shots to the temples, expert marksmanship.
But more shocking was her lack of hesitation to kill, despite her young age.

“Even now, aren’t you scared?
How can you stay so calm?”

Facing death, she didn’t flinch.
No screams, no need to gag her.

She felt like an emotionless doll.

Probably his imagination.
After all, living together, he’d seen Ruby’s vibrant emotions.

Those moments couldn’t be an act, could they?

“Wonder when your sister’ll show.
Maybe she ditched you and ran.”

“No.
My sister’ll come.”

“Hmph.
Sibling intuition?
That’s lame.”

Being stuck chatting with this kid alone already annoyed him.

But it was almost over.
Once the star took the stage…

Beep.

A radio signal made Spade smirk.
A call from Ikazuchi’s guards below.

As a Red Dog comrade, he knew Lapis’s combat strength perfectly.
Even as a Stoner, defeating all the elite guards below was impossible.

“Caught the culprit?”

[S-Save me!!
Argh!!]

Click—

The radio cut off, leaving only a dying scream.

Crackle!!
BOOM!!

An unknown roar echoed, and the incinerator’s external lights went dark.
The area was lit only by the faint haze from the furnace.

Frowning at the unexpected turn, he noticed a figure approaching slowly, startling him.

White hair fluttered in the hot wind from the incinerator.
Blue eyes gleamed through the red haze.