Claws at the Throat
Clang—!
The blade, cloaked in ashen sword aura sharp enough to slice through ordinary steel like paper, was repelled backward, unable to overcome the girl's simple thrust of a single claw.
This sword of mine was a renowned blade among famous swords, and even with sword aura infused into it, facing Sina was no easy task.
'Well, that's to be expected.'
I furrowed my brow in frustration and put some distance between us for now. When she unleashed her full power, she reached the realm of the 9th Hierarchy, surpassing the 8th. That was the monster known as the Monstrous Strength Chaos God.
Even during our brief clash in the snowy mountains back then, under the pretext of a test, the best I could manage was slicing off one of her arms.
I hadn't neglected my personal training over the past year, and I was confident I'd reached a clearly higher realm since then... but even with this more refined sword aura, gaining the upper hand against Sina was impossible.
The deadline I'd promised her was a total of five years. At this point, just two-fifths in, overpowering her with force was nothing but a pipe dream.
"...I wish you'd calm your emotions first, but you won't listen to me, will you? Daughter."
"...".
Just a few clashes of our blades, and my wrist was already tingling. No answer came to my labored words. I gave a wry smile.
"Feels like I'm talking to a parrot, really."
Or maybe to a wall. Sina looked dead set on making good on her threat to tear even me apart if I got in her way.
Just standing there facing her felt like my whole body was stiffening under the pressure—like a herbivore cornered by a predator.
"—."
One Flash
Craaaack!!
"!"
The technique I unleashed without warning sliced through the air at a speed too fast to follow with the eye, leaving the faintest trail on Sina's shoulder.
Even Sina, who had maintained a blank expression until now, widened her eyes for a split second.
"...Hah, well now."
But I was the one more shocked. As I said, that was a one-strike-kill technique even a typical 8th Hierarchy master would struggle to track visually.
Of course, I hadn't used it to kill her, but I figured it could at least incapacitate her. It was a strike I'd poured my heart into, and likely my last chance.
Yet Sina twisted her body away in an instant with animalistic instincts, dodging my thrust.
I, who had extended my sword in a straight line with swift precision, could only freeze stiff in that posture.
"Do you truly... intend to stand in this lady's way, Kyle?"
"...Mm."
Her speech had returned to normal, and with it, her golden eyes narrowed into a chilling glare straight at me. It felt like facing a feral beast.
I stepped back awkwardly, a troubled look on my face.
But still.
Some things had to be said, right?
"I've said it before—I understand your anger. If it were me and the grave of my 'family' had been desecrated like this, I couldn't have kept my sanity either."
I lowered the tip of my sword slightly as I spoke, and Sina twitched her eyebrows, firing back.
"Then why?"
"But."
I carefully shifted my gaze beyond Sina's shoulder. Far off stood a massive wooden fortress built in the Eastern architectural style. It was the headquarters of the Demonic Cult and the Heavenly Demon that made this city their base.
And it was so close... It was fine for now, but if this commotion grew louder, they'd surely notice.
Of course, that had to be prevented too, but the more fundamental reason was.
"You're talking about trampling this entire city—how could I just stand by and watch?"
That was it. I murmured with a chuckle.
"It might sound like hypocritical meddling from an outsider, but I don't want to see you commit a massacre, Sina."
"...".
"...Moreover, this is a city ruled by the Demonic Cult. It could draw the Heavenly Demon's attention, and if that happens, even I might not be able to protect you..."
"I see."
At the same time, Sina's voice dropped to a chill that sent shivers down my spine.
She cut me off, her entire body rippling with golden light as she muttered.
"From the start, you never intended to kill this lady, did you, Kyle? All along."
"...".
That one line pierced my weak spot, exposing the secret I'd desperately hidden.
'How?'
She'd seen through me. At an unexpected time, in an unexpected way. My true feelings laid bare.
I reflexively shut my mouth, and Sina continued, her face a mix of betrayal.
"I've felt the incongruity for a while. For someone trying to stop this lady's massacre five years from now, you weren't rejecting me at all. If anything, you treated me with familiarity."
"...Sina."
"Isn't it strange? This lady wouldn't waste affection on someone she planned to kill with her own hands within five years. And."
"...".
"So what if there's a Heavenly Demon and one of the Seven Strongest in this city? Wouldn't it be perfect? If we attacked together, you might even achieve that 'killing the Monstrous Strength Chaos God' you've so desperately wanted."
I felt my words catch in my throat, and Sina smiled coldly as she took a step toward me.
She approached until she was right under my frozen chin, looking up as she spoke.
"Protect me? When you're far weaker than this lady. Don't play at being a father—it's just role-playing at best."
She grabbed my hand with a menacing smile, twisted her body in a spin, and slammed me to the ground.
Thud—!
"...Guh."
There was no time to counter or brace. My sword was caught in her tail, leaving me unable to even roll with the fall as I hit the dirt, letting out a pained groan.
"In the end... you're just halfway, pathetically hypocritical."
"...".
Straddling me, Sina irritably brushed back her white bangs, her face twisted. Her other hand, claws extended, pressed against my throat.
"You don't want this lady to massacre. But you have no intention of killing this lady to stop it... What a utterly baseless conviction. Haha."
If things went south, I'd die right there. Her claws would rip into my carotid artery.
My instincts screamed at the death looming before me, but I did nothing.
Just... contrary to her voice thick with anger, I gazed up endlessly at Sina, whose expression somehow looked utterly sorrowful.
"It was overstepping."
She sneered, lips curling.
"Pity? Sympathy? Did hugging the Monstrous Strength Chaos God, the girl who endured a thousand years, seem that pitiful to you? Huh? Kyle?"
Her eyes grew fiercer, and she jammed her claws into my neckline with a stab!. A position where, if she willed it, she could end my life in an instant.
I grimaced at the sharp pain from my throat, but made no move to throw off the Sina atop me.
Because my sword-wielding wrist was pinned by her tail?
'No.'
That wasn't an issue. The tail's grip was strong, but manageable—I could break free with full power if needed.
The real reason I did nothing was.
"...Overstepping, you know that?"
"...".
To keep listening to what she had to say.
I looked up at Sina powerlessly, and she ground her teeth, her eyes trembling more than mine.
"Don't pity me. Don't pretend to empathize with my pain out of baseless sympathy. A kid like you couldn't possibly understand the time I've endured."
She was right. Baseless pity and sympathy couldn't even grasp the fragments of the thousand years she'd endured in despair.
"You mocked me. You promised to end this endless life, but all along, you were racking your brain for ways not to kill me."
That was true too. Even if I hadn't intended it that way, I'd undoubtedly deceived her.
Because deep down, I didn't want to kill her.
Because I wanted to find her another path.
"And you had no plan. Spending five years playing house in that dainty two-story mansion without killing me—what's that supposed to change? How would you stop me from destroying the world after? Any alternatives?"
This one... strictly speaking, half-wrong. I did have a plan.
Imperfect, but still. It wasn't something to voice right now, so I just kept silent, gazing up at her.
Grind—
Probably displeased with my silence, Sina gripped my throat harder in heightened fury.
My face darkened as breath became labored in that perilous sensation, and Sina muttered precariously.
"You sacrificed my rampage as a scapegoat, then dragged my and my master's honor through the mud. And now..."
"...".
"...Even you, the only one I nearly opened my heart to in this era, deceived me, Kyle."
Gulp!
Next, both hands. Sina, her face a chaotic mess of sorrow, despair, and excitement flushed red, squeezed my throat hard.
A smile played on her lips, but her eyes weren't smiling. Instead, tears fell.
"Haaa..."
Soon, Sina exhaled a feverish breath and said.
"Just... just, yeah."
"...".
"Let's die together. Dad."
A genuine smile, perhaps the first I'd ever seen from her. Sina tensed her grip, intent on killing me right there.
"...".
And only then did I finally speak.