Chapter 123
Chapter 123
Chapter 123
“Haha, this is troublesome.”
Ulla broke into a cold sweat and spread her wings. Eleanor was charging at her relentlessly.
The basic principle of sniping was not to be detected.
Once detected, a sniper's role is effectively over.
From now on, it was highly likely to become the messy fight she disliked.
'It's not that the drug isn't working.'
Ulla cautiously observed Eleanor, who was gliding precariously through the corridor and charging forward. Her legs were shaking, as if her consciousness was intermittently cutting out.
The anesthetic's effect was working properly. However, she was suppressing it with sheer will.
“...Is that even possible?”
Isn't she a monster?
It shouldn’t be a drug that could be overcome by will. It wasn't just a feeling of drowsiness. It was cutting off consciousness.
As long as she was a human, a living creature, there was no way the drug would have no effect.
“Tsk.”
Ulla changed her ammunition. It was still non-lethal, but it would hurt much more than a tranquilizer dart.
“It’s just a rubber bullet, but...”
Nevertheless, as long as it was a bullet using gunpowder, it would be possible to stop her charge.
She maintained her gliding state using her wings and composed her breathing.
There was no wind, so there was no sway.
Her body, gliding at a constant speed, was much more stable than sniping from the ground.
Ulla calculated the falling speed and the recoil she would receive in mid-air, then pulled the trigger.
BANG!
Her body jumped slightly due to the recoil.
As the height increased, the gliding speed also increased.
It was her perfect, unique fighting style of fighting while maintaining distance.
“As expected, if it’s not the first strike, it won’t be that easy.”
Eleanor twisted her body, evading Ulla’s shot.
It was after she had already been detected, after all.
As long as she expected an attack, reacting was only natural.
An ordinary person would hide, but warriors like Eleanor could react to the incoming bullets themselves.
She possessed such physical abilities.
“Still...”
What if it wasn’t just one shot, but multiple?
The characteristic of a marksman is the ability to unleash fast and powerful strikes at low cost. They can accumulate the most damage in the same amount of time.
Who on earth could lightly block such an attack?
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ulla repeatedly pulled the trigger. Of course, the precision would drop accordingly. But it was fine.
'In a straight corridor like this, she won't be able to evade all of them.'
The proof was right before her eyes.
Several of her bullets struck Eleanor’s arms and legs as she charged.
“Kugh!”
“Yes, it must hurt enough to make you scream...”
Ulla clicked her tongue at Eleanor’s muffled cry echoing in the corridor.
No matter the mission, shooting Eleanor, whom she considered a friend, couldn't have felt good.
“...So just give up now and fall, Noah.”
The anesthetic was working. That was certain. Even with superhuman willpower, there would eventually be a limit.
If she could just buy enough time until then, this battle would be her victory.
“Hahaha...”
“...”
But Eleanor laughed.
Ulla felt goosebumps looking at Eleanor.
'Again. Our eyes met again...'
Even though she clearly had the overwhelming advantage, she felt inexplicably intimidated.
“It was you... Ulla.”
“Ugh?!”
She was found out.
In fact, it was perfectly predictable that she would be found out.
She had initially formed a relationship with Eleanor through Lucia’s introduction.
It wouldn’t be strange to suspect her as Lucia’s colleague.
But to call out her name at this very moment, at this timing, was quite suffocating.
“Stop...”
Her relationships were light.
She pursued such relationships. But just because she built such relationships didn't mean they weren't friends.
Who in the world would enjoy hurting a friend?
She pursued a relationship where they could greet each other if they met on the street someday. Therefore, she didn't want the relationship itself to be shattered.
“Stop...!”
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Her rifle continuously spat fire. She fired bullets indiscriminately, trying to stop her somehow.
'Why? How on earth? Why?'
But even as she pulled the trigger, she couldn't help but doubt her own eyes.
'Why isn't the distance widening?!'
The distance wasn't widening.
Instead, the distance between the two was steadily narrowing.
Her light body was gliding at an even faster speed than before due to the recoil of the bullets.
This reduced accuracy, but the sheer volume compensated for it.
The opponent couldn't block all the bullets and allowed herself to be hit multiple times.
Yet, the distance was narrowing.
This meant that Eleanor's speed was faster than her gliding speed, faster than the time she was stiffened and stopped by the hits.
It was impossible.
“Kuh!”
Ulla stared wide-eyed, examining Eleanor, who was charging at her. Her eyes began to hold a strange light.
Her skill, [Weakness Detection].
Literally, a technique to identify an opponent's weaknesses.
“Eek?!”
And Ulla, having understood Eleanor’s state through that gaze, hastily took her eyes off the scope.
It was that astonishing. She found it hard to believe her own eyes.
“What on earth...”
Eleanor’s condition, seen through the scope.
“What makes you able to do that...?”
Her entire body was a weakness.
Eleanor was already pushing herself to her limits.
“My bond with you all!”
“Ugh?!”
Ulla bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut as Eleanor suddenly appeared close by. The mission had failed.
She would be defeated here.
“...is what makes me move, so it won’t be severed!”
At Eleanor’s words, Ulla felt as if she could see the chains connecting her and Eleanor.
So incredibly strong, impossible to break.
'Ah...'
Chains of fate.
'No wonder she didn't pull away...'
No matter how much she struggled, the distance didn't widen because Eleanor was firmly grasping and pulling on those chains.
So, how could she possibly pull away?
Ulla herself hadn't let go of those chains.
“Haaaaaaah!!”
Eleanor’s greatsword, swung with all her might, sent the rifle Ulla was gripping flying far away.
The marksman had lost her weapon.
A complete defeat.
“...Lucia is at the end of this corridor, Eleanor.”
“Okay, thanks for telling me, Ulla. I’ll buy you a meal sometime!”
“Haha...”
The power of will, not the power of the key.
It was Eleanor's first victory achieved with her own strength.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Amazing, Discreet Punisher.”
It was my full power.
I intended to squeeze out all my mana and drive him into a corner.
Yes, it would be fair to say I charged with the intent to kill.
I had transformed the flames of [Prometheus] into [Sacred Flame] precisely because I had no intention of holding back.
“Your victory.”
His attacks didn’t land, and my attacks were enough to inflict critical damage.
It was a unilateral offensive.
The flames, unleashed with full power, engulfed Discreet multiple times.
But all my mana was depleted, and the flames died down.
In this situation, if Discreet were to attack, I would lose without being able to respond at all.
I could try to use martial arts as a final desperate measure, but the opponent before me was practically my master.
It was still too early to aim for a student surpassing their teacher.
“Is that what the state of a 'clear mirror, still water' mind means?”
“Clear mirror, still water? That's a Federal term.”
The blue flames died down, and Discreet quietly revealed himself.
If this had been a real fight, I would have been torn apart by his sword.
But killing was forbidden. The situation felt as if the winner and loser had been reversed.
I had simply run out of mana, but Discreet had moved intensely to avoid the flames, and had even been engulfed by them several times.
The flames of the [Sacred Flame] could change their nature from attack to healing at any time, so I had no qualms.
“Will you surrender peacefully?”
“I’ve bought enough time. This much should be enough.”
“...”
I lost the fight.
But I won the match. At this point, it’s safe to say I’ve done everything I could.
“Haa...”
Discreet let out a deep sigh at my calm demeanor.
He looked quite exhausted.
“...There’s one more elite agent of ours inside.”
Of course, there would be.
I had already ascertained the locations of the other Tenebris members beforehand. The only one whose location wasn't pinpointed was Ulla, the elite agent.
But the fact that her location wasn't pinpointed was, conversely, as good as telling me where she was.
“Ulla won’t be able to stop Eleanor.”
“...She cannot defeat Agent Ulla with her skill.”
“That’s just your opinion.”
This guy is rational and objective. But precisely because of that, he doesn't understand.
“Eleanor has infiltrated your agents' ranks deeper than you think.”
Emotions inherently play a significant role in victory and defeat.
He might be able to control his emotions, but would the other agents?
“Agent Ulla is not swayed by personal emotions.”
“Really?”
I took a step closer to him.
Even if my mana is depleted, [Contemplation] was still active.
I can foresee Discreet’s hesitation.
“Do you really think so? Even you are visibly struggling like this, do you truly believe Ulla can react indifferently?”
Eleanor’s charisma is unmatched by anyone.
She is an outlaw who somehow infiltrates people’s hearts.
“Ulla will lose to Eleanor. And Eleanor will reach Lucia, and no one knows how that will change her.”
I don’t treat Eleanor like a protagonist for no reason. She’s a reckless person who doesn’t make rational choices and surrenders to her emotions, but that’s precisely why she succeeds.
The ability to run purely towards her goal without considering her own losses is undoubtedly a great weapon.
“Eleanor von Chrysos... She is far too immature. If she can reach Lucia, what difference will it make?”
“They’ll have a few words.”
“And then? What next? Do you think she can escape the Empire? This is the only time. This is the only pretext we have to keep her away from His Majesty the Emperor’s eyes.”
Discreet fears the Emperor. Which is only natural.
Isn’t he the ruler of this vast Helios Empire?
That alone makes him seem impossibly high above.
He, having personally risen to the position of a legion commander, knows how terrifying power can be.
“You must know too, don’t you? Nothing will change.”
“Yes, it’s ultimately what kids do. Even if they have a conversation, reality isn’t so easy that things will change just because of that. Even Eleanor, not just me, would know that.”
Whatever conversation they have, whatever persuasion they make. The outcome won't change.
The decision rests with Discreet. Unless Lucia were to abandon everything, she couldn't refuse Discreet's decision.
“I said it before. Kids are kids. So what about adults?”
“...”
“Discreet Punisher.”
He cares for Lucia.
It’s an admirable family love. But it must have been a unilateral imposition until now.
“What do you want? Lucia as a doll, living in bright daylight, free from this messy surface? Or a happy family living together?”
“...”
“If you want the former, then your actions might be correct. It’s a difficult task, so it could definitely be said that an adult guiding is right.”
But what if he desires the latter, not the former?
He had made a choice once before.
When Lucia came to me to leak information about Tenebris, he must have respected Lucia’s choice.
“A child can grow precisely because they are still a child. Forcing maturity on a child who isn’t ready to become an adult is...”
Yes, he knows.
He knows, but right now, he is simply wavering.
Lucia is still undergoing many changes. She finally found color in a life devoid of emotion.
She will continue to change.
No one knows what direction that will take. But Discreet had decided to welcome that change.
“Isn’t that precisely what’s not adult-like?”
Children endure many things as they grow into adults.
A person who can endure becomes an adult. But simply enduring does not lead to growth.
They become colorless adults.
Yes, like Discreet Punisher before my eyes.
A being who only endures becomes numb.
“Then are you saying I should just stand by and watch a future where foolish choices are clearly made?”
No human is infallible. No human doesn’t know how to fail.
Those who cannot learn growth from there will only become colorless.
“If you want to advise, do so. If you want to interfere, do so. But don’t impose unilaterally.”
People need to experience failure.
Through failure, they should learn to hope for the next time.
They learn to endure.
And that is learning to become better.
“If you don’t intend to be with Lucia for life, you should teach Lucia how to choose.”
“...”
It’s like learning to ride a bicycle. You learn by falling.
You can’t learn by not practicing, by just watching.
You don’t know until you try it yourself.
“What an adult can do is not ride the bicycle for them, but attach training wheels to push them from behind.”
And adults must know that even the hand that pushed from behind must eventually let go.
“It’s time to stop wandering, Discreet Punisher. Now, return to the path you once set.”
Because you still have plenty of room to return.