Chapter 79: After Her Identity Was Exposed, Remielle's Defenses Were Breached! (Patreon)

"Beli… why? Why are you here… you clearly…"

Remielle stared at Beli standing before her. For a moment her eyes went wide, filled with disbelief.

Beside her, Musachi raised an eyebrow at the sight.

Sure enough, his hunch had been right. From the moment Remielle first saw the footage, he'd sensed something was off about her. Her reaction had been far too obvious.

Remielle handled everything with effortless ease, yet over the past few days she'd been slipping again and again. Musachi could hardly help connecting the two.

So when he ran into Beli again, he'd already been thinking about calling Remielle over.

And, as expected, Remielle and Beli really did know each other. Only, watching Remielle's reaction, Musachi found it strange.

She clearly knew Beli, and he could see joy in her eyes. But there was more than joy there. There was doubt, and a heartbreaking sorrow.

As a result, wildly conflicting emotions tangled across Remielle's face.

"Since you two already know each other, then…"

"Musachi, come here."

Before he could finish, Remielle reached out and yanked him firmly behind her.

Then she drew a deep breath. "There are things I can't explain right now, but for the moment, will you trust me? This Beli is definitely not the Beli I remember. My dear friend, the one in my memories…"

Resolve flickered in her eyes as she spoke. A slender sword appeared in her hand, and slowly she leveled its tip at the woman in front of her…

"Who are you, really? The real Beli died more than a hundred years ago, so who the hell are you?! You're not Beli. You're a monster wearing Beli's skin!"

She ground out the words through clenched teeth, staring at a figure identical to the one in her memories.

"Remielle… I know this is hard to believe. The truth is, my memories stop at the very last moment. As far as I remember, I should have died… I don't know why I've ended up like this either."

A bitter smile crossed Beli's face as she spoke.

Even she didn't know how to explain her own condition.

"Then what about the blade in your hand, Absolution?"

Remielle fell silent for a moment, then looked at her coolly.

"I don't know. When I woke up, this sword was already in my hand… Maybe it's fate…"

Beli shook her head slightly.

Remielle's expression darkened as she listened.

After Beli's death, Seven Thunders of Retribution had been sealed away. So why had it returned to the Hollow? And why had it landed, of all places, in its original owner's hands?

Remielle's gaze grew heavy.

After exchanging a series of words, she'd come to half believe that the woman before her was Beli herself.

Her tone, her bearing, everything was so much like Beli. Too much like her…

As if her friend had truly come back to life.

But Remielle also knew that Beli was dead. Thoroughly, completely dead.

"I don't think this is a good place to talk. Why don't we find somewhere to sit down? I could use the time to sort through what I know, too."

Beli said it calmly, a trace of helplessness in her eyes.

"All right…"

Remielle nodded with a sigh. But in the instant she relaxed, Beli's eyes across from her turned blood red!

And in that same instant, all the gentleness in them vanished, replaced by indifference.

No negative emotion lay behind it. It was simply the cold detachment of someone who looked down on everything.

Then Beli's hand closed around the hilt.

And then…

Rumble!

Lightning like a natural disaster spread over her body, purple arcs coiling around her, and she drew the long blade in one violent motion!

"BOOM!"

A deafening peal of thunder tore through the sky. In that instant Remielle snapped to her senses and hauled Musachi aside.

A slash like a gentle breeze passed in front of them, leaving a few strands of scorched pink hair drifting in the air.

Only then came the earsplitting roar!

This area was the outskirts of the Ballet Building, where few people ever came. The enormous Hollow had swallowed most of the building, and only a small part stood exposed outside it.

But now…

Before Musachi's and Remielle's eyes, a thin line appeared across that remaining section of the building. Then a smooth, flat cross-section slowly came into view, and the whole tower began to slide sideways.

"So it really is the power of Absolution…"

Having dodged the blow, Remielle looked grimly toward where Beli stood.

Where Beli had been, lightning and dense Ether now billowed.

They were outside the Hollow, yet there was this much Ether.

Then a sharp claw emerged from the Ether. With a wave of her hand, a gauntlet like a bundle of blades tore through the mist and revealed what stood behind it.

Compared to before, Beli's frame had become leaner and taller. Her once-gentle face had turned sharp, her eyes empty of joy or sorrow, her gaze keen as a blade.

What Musachi saw in those crimson eyes was nothing but indifference, and beneath it, a desolate wasteland.

More striking still were her mouth, now encased in Ether Crystal, and the two sharp horns rising from her head.

"Beli… so you really did turn into a Fettered in the end…"

Remielle looked at the sight with a flash of helplessness in her eyes, but then her resolve hardened.

A hundred years ago, she had given Beli release with her own hands. Today, it was time to release her again.

If Beli knew, she'd surely be glad, wouldn't she?

It was only that, sending her closest friend to the grave twice…

Wasn't that a bit too cruel for Remielle?

But there was no confusion in Remielle's eyes now, only unwavering resolve.

"Stay back and keep out of sight."

Remielle bit down lightly, gave Musachi that single instruction over her shoulder, and charged.

"Let's dance one more time, Beli. Call it the farewell we never got to say…"

Gripping her slender sword, Remielle shot toward Beli like the wind.

Her blade was viciously cunning, and without the slightest hesitation she thrust it at Beli's heart.

At this level of combat, there was no room for even a moment's hesitation.

Meanwhile, the disturbance had drawn the attention of New Eridu's monitoring teams. This was the outskirts of the Ballet Building, after all, and compared to other Hollows, it sat very close to New Eridu.

And with Beli's transformation, even the neighboring Hollow was at risk of becoming active and expanding.

Musachi frowned at the sight.

Perhaps because Beli's constitution had been special in life, she was able to leave the Hollow even as an Ethereal…

By now, the first exchange between the two had already ended.

Watching the blade rush toward her, Beli's eyes held neither joy nor sorrow. In an instant she drew Absolution, and then…

Clang!!!

The tip of the tachi and the tip of Remielle's rapier collided, ringing with a clear, resonant hum.

It was point against point, yet both of them could feel the contest of strength between them.

Still, Beli wielded a Void Hunter-class weapon, while Remielle had yet to recover her own, Thaumiel, and she was clearly at a disadvantage.

Her rapier bent into an extreme arc, as though in the next moment Absolution's edge would touch Remielle's shoulder. Then a transparent feather shot from Remielle's body, and Beli's figure froze.

Remielle gritted her teeth and, without hesitation, drove the sword straight at Beli's heart.

But just as the blade was about to pierce it, Remielle saw Beli's dazed eyes refocus and lock onto her.

The next moment, lightning crackled over Beli's body.

Zzzt…

If Remielle kept up the attack, the next instant that lightning would burn her to a crisp.

Remielle gritted her teeth, but she didn't retreat.

She knew she wasn't at her peak. In a drawn-out fight she had no chance of winning.

Even back then, with a Void Hunter weapon in hand, she had pushed her body to the limit against Beli in her Fettered state, and she'd only won at terrible cost. Now, without Thaumiel, she could use only part of her Temporal Authority, and against Beli she was at a clear disadvantage!

Trading injury for a kill. She might be badly hurt by this strike, but it had to be a one-hit kill, before Beli could adapt to her power!

With that thought, Remielle clenched her jaw. Light surged from her body, and white feathers drifted through the air. This time, though, her target wasn't Beli herself but the lightning around her!

She would lock the lightning in place with the power of time, and then end it with one blow!

Even if she couldn't lock it completely, slowing Beli down would be enough.

But just as she was about to act, she found Beli's hand was faster than hers. With a mere flip of the wrist, Beli brought Absolution up and blocked Remielle's attack.

"What?"

Remielle hadn't expected such a quick reaction, and by the time she tried to dodge, it was too late.

By her original calculation, the lightning would have seriously wounded her in an instant, even with her Authority weakening it.

But in reality, the lightning had actually been pinned in midair by Remielle, unable to advance an inch.

The pain she'd braced for never came. Her eyes widened involuntarily, and she stepped back quickly to adjust her stance.

"This is…"

Looking at the lightning she'd completely halted, drained of its Ether activity, Remielle was baffled.

She could only do this when she wielded Thaumiel, and the overuse would worsen her corrosion. But now? Could her broken fragment of Authority really manage this? How was that possible?

Remielle certainly didn't think she was capable of such a thing.

Still, the doubt lasted only a moment. The battlefield shifted by the second, and watching Beli charge at her with the long blade raised, Remielle knew she couldn't drag this out.

Otherwise she'd only fall further behind…

What's more, Musachi was right there…

A Beli who had lost control would never let him leave alive.

With that in mind, she gritted her teeth and charged at Beli again.

This time, though, she changed her approach.

If she couldn't take her down head-on, she'd go around!

Without Thaumiel, Remielle lacked its jet-fighter speed, but her powerful body alone was enough to fight in the air.

With that thought, Remielle shot into the sky, and Beli's gaze followed her.

Until Remielle's figure merged with the sun, and Beli could see only a tiny black dot.

The intense sunlight dazzled her, leaving her dazed for a moment.

Then, the instant Beli raised a hand to shield her eyes, Remielle plunged toward her at breakneck speed, her slender sword once again aimed at a vital point.

She was so fast that in the blink of an eye she was in front of Beli, and then… the sword thrust out with savage force!

But her feathers arrived before she did.

As time passed, Remielle knew Beli would adapt to her power more and more. This was probably her last chance.

Yet Beli adapted far too quickly.

The feathers' hold lasted only an instant. It was enough only for Remielle to close the distance, and Beli had already recovered.

"BOOM!"

Violent lightning flared around Beli, and with one sidestep she dodged Remielle's attack.

The ground collapsed across a radius of dozens of meters, yet Beli, right beside it, was completely unscathed.

And then Absolution's long blade swept in!

Remielle had only just landed and had no time to set her stance. She bent backward at the waist, her body twisting to an impossibly flexible angle, and let the slash pass over her.

Musachi winced at the sight. That could not be allowed to land. If it had connected, the kids would have nothing to eat in the future…

With that thought, he understood that he couldn't let the two keep tangling like this.

If it went on, New Eridu's people would arrive, and the two of them still wouldn't have finished. Besides, after such a short exchange the surroundings were already mostly wrecked. If they kept fighting, the impact would only grow.

Musachi looked toward Beli in the distance, his gaze calm.

At the same time, he slowly raised his right hand and formed a circle with his thumb and index finger, holding it over his right eye.

Behind that hand, one of Musachi's eyes shifted from black to a blazing gold, as if burning with flame.

"Shatter."

Abruptly his hand clenched shut, as though crushing something. In that instant Beli's body convulsed as if struck by a heavy blow. She trembled all over, and slowly light returned to her eyes.

"Remi… elle…"

She looked at Remielle, managed only those words, then lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

"Beli!"

Remielle hurried to catch her. For that brief moment, it had seemed Beli regained her senses.

"Let's go. Someone will be here soon because of the noise. We should get out of here."

Musachi walked over and spoke to Remielle, who was cradling Beli.

"Mm…"

She nodded without a word, lifted Beli in her arms, and followed Musachi.

A moment later, a black luxury sedan drove away from the site.

Not long after Musachi left, several figures arrived in a hurry.

Looking at the devastation, a man in a suit frowned.

"What on earth happened here?"

The area, which had been in decent shape, was now completely in ruins, with signs of battle everywhere.

"Is this… electricity?"

Sensing the charge still lingering in the ground, one man stared wide-eyed.

What the hell was this? It was the first time he'd seen electricity linger in the ground like that. It was almost absurd.

Apart from the residual current, nothing else remained in the area.

Under the intense heat, the feathers Remielle had formed from Ether had long since vanished.

In the end, after investigating without result, the group had no choice but to seal off the site for the time being.

…

Musachi and Remielle did not return to New Eridu.

Instead, he drove to one of Remielle's outposts outside the city.

"This is the place."

Remielle said as she carried Beli out of the car.

Musachi looked it over. It was an apartment building. Calling it abandoned wasn't quite right. People had probably lived here once, but after the Fall of the Old City it was no longer safe, so it had been deserted. Remielle had set up a temporary base here over the past few days, and the furnishings were simple: a bed, a table, and a chair.

"You've been sleeping here these past two days?"

Musachi glanced around the shabby hideout and raised an eyebrow.

"Mm."

Remielle nodded and said nothing more.

After Remielle laid Beli on the bed, Musachi sighed, sat down on the chair beside it, and said to her:

"So, who are you? The spy-family playing-house game is over. Miss, shouldn't you introduce yourself properly?"

Musachi smiled at her as he said it, in no hurry.

Someone who could fight a Fettered on even terms, with such a special ability on top of it. Even an idiot would have noticed something was off.

Besides, Remielle had just said the real Beli should have died a hundred years ago…

Which meant that Remielle, as Beli's close friend, was also a person from a hundred years ago.

He hadn't thought along those lines before because he didn't know this world well. Strong as he was, he still respected the passage of time, but now it seemed this world did have long-lived species after all.

"How sly, Shopkeeper. Want to play a game of questions with me? Then… once I've answered, will you answer one of mine too?"

Remielle looked at him and smiled.

"Bargaining already? Depends. But for now, I think you should introduce yourself first."

"Do I really need to? I feel like you've already guessed, Shopkeeper. That's right, I'm Dan. Remielle Dan, one of the first-generation Void Hunters from the Eridu era a hundred years ago. And Beli's full name is Beliora Vike, once a colonel in the Scepter Army, my superior, my dearest friend, and also… the person I buried with my own hands."

"Is bringing the dead back to life common in this world…?"

Musachi raised an eyebrow, curious in spite of himself.

In a sense he himself had come back from the dead, but he was a special case and couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.

As for Beli, all Musachi knew for now was that she had some connection to The Creator.

Her earlier state had clearly been control by The Creator, or rather, a Fettered controlled by The Creator. The reason Musachi could put her to sleep was that he could wield The Creator's Authority and forcibly sever her link to The Creator.

But since he wasn't yet skilled at using that Authority, he couldn't permanently cut The Creator's hold on her.

Which meant Beli could still go on a rampage later.

"Of course it's not common. Dead is dead, there's no such thing as coming back… That's why I was so shocked when I saw Beli. But you, Shopkeeper, aren't the least bit surprised by who I am? I thought you'd be too stunned to speak."

Remielle looked at Musachi in surprise.

"Because I'd sort of guessed."

Musachi rolled his eyes.

"In that case… give and take. Now it's your turn to answer me, Shopkeeper."

Just as Musachi was about to say something, he felt a feather drift down onto his forehead.

Then Remielle threw herself into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I'd love to play another game with you, but time won't allow it. Beli's body is very unstable and could go berserk at any moment, and with my identity exposed, I'll bring plenty of trouble down on you. So… I have to go. Thank you. I was truly happy with you, really, Musachi."

She cupped his cheeks, then buried her face in his chest and said in a muffled voice:

"If I could, I'd want to be with you. I'd want to live with you and forget everything that came before. But I'm a person from a hundred years ago. This isn't my era anymore, and my body won't let me do what I want… So please give me some time, okay? Once I find a way to save Beli, I'll come back. Just, until then, I want to go away for a little while…"

Remielle drew a deep breath, then kissed Musachi lightly on the lips.

Clearly, Remielle meant to run.

She meant to leave Musachi and investigate alone.

But just as she was about to get up and leave, she felt an arm wrap around her waist and stop her from going. Then a pair of smiling eyes looked down at her.

"Running away? Did you ask me, your Shopkeeper, first?"

Musachi smiled at her.

"Wait, you weren't frozen by me? Since when?"

Looking at Musachi, who still moved freely with her feather on his head, Remielle's face showed a flicker of shock.

"Since the very beginning, of course. Ah, finally out in the open… I've been holding it in so long, it's been torture… you little minx…"

As his secret came out, Musachi let out a breath, feeling a little wistful.

It was exposed, yet he actually felt much lighter.

God knew what sacrifices he'd made pretending to be frozen by Remielle!

Now he finally didn't have to pretend anymore.

"The very beginning…"

Remielle's heavy heart was now flooded with an even more complicated feeling, and only three words echoed in her head.

"The very beginning."

In other words, from the start, her power had never affected Musachi at all?

And while he was fully conscious, she had made a whole series of embarrassing moves and said all sorts of things.

And he had caught every last one of them on the spot…

"Uuu… AAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Remielle's throat let out a shrill scream like a boiling kettle.

Her composure was shattered. This time Remielle was well and truly broken.

Since waking up, this was the first time she had been so completely undone…