“Le, Leje!?”
Rudell was speechless at the sight of Leje breaking through the ceiling.
What in the world was she doing here?
Right now, he couldn’t believe what was happening right in front of his eyes.
“Rudeeeeeel—?”
But that was just for a moment.
Leje looked at him with a bright smile.
Someone once said that sometimes a smiling person is scarier.
At this moment, Rudell felt like he understood what that meant.
“What on earth is going on?”
“Uh, that is, um… how should I put this…”
Just then, as Rudell stumbled over his words, he was interrupted.
WOOOOOOOOO—!!
With a terrible noise, Subject 121 shot a sword-like red thorn made of magic power towards Leje.
“Leje! Danger…!!”
Seeing that, Rudell shouted and gathered his magic power.
But…
“Hey.”
With a cold voice, Leje turned her head and drew her sword from her waist.
The blue sword light swept around as if it were looking at her, and all the incoming red thorns shattered into pieces.
“Can’t you see I’m busy right now?”
WOOO—!!!
At her words, Subject 121 let out a roar and prepared to attack again.
Sigh…
Watching this, Leje turned with a short sigh.
“You better spill everything later. Not a single thing left out.”
“Uh, got it…”
Faced with her fierce appearance, Rudell couldn’t even muster a proper objection.
Leaving Rudell behind, Leje approached Subject 121.
GRRRR—!!
Subject 121 roared and placed its hand on the ground as Leje approached.
The magic power spread across the ground, erupting like a volcanic column of red flames.
But Leje dashed through the towering flames with incredible speed, swinging her sword directly at Subject 121’s neck.
Just as the blue sword light was about to sever its neck…
BANG!!
Subject 121’s body was covered in metal, bouncing her sword away.
“Flames and metal too… Trying to hog all the fun, huh?”
Leje said with a laugh, as if finding it ridiculous.
Then, adjusting her grip on her sword, she lunged straight into Subject 121’s embrace, swing her sword upward from below.
With a blue afterimage, her sword slashed through the arm of the subject, releasing a thick black liquid that gushed out like tar.
GRRRR—!!
As if feeling pain, the subject grabbed its severed shoulder and recoiled.
But that was only for a moment…
WOOO—!!
With a roar, the severed arm’s stump bubbled and, in an instant, the arm grew back.
“Regeneration ability? How interesting.”
Leje scoffed while watching the scene unfold.
Then, with renewed determination in her grip, she took a stance and said, “Let’s see if you can regenerate if I shred you into pieces!”
And without hesitation, Leje charged at Subject 121.
*
WOOO—!!
Seeing Leje charging at it, Subject 121 roared and stomped on the ground.
Red magic power spread from under its feet, creating cracks in the ground, and the shattered rock fragments shot up like spears with a loud noise.
“Is that all you’ve got? Come on, bring it!”
Dozens of stone spears dove toward her, but she shouted and swung her sword into the air.
Her sword, imbued with magic power, swept through the air with dazzling afterimages, and the incoming stone spears shattered into countless stone fragments scattered across the ground.
But that wasn’t the end of its attack.
As the subject’s magic spread, the scattered stone fragments began to gather together.
Leje stopped to witness this spectacle, as the gathered stones transformed into a snake-like form, slithering toward her and engulfing her body.
CRUNCH…!! CRACK…!!
“Leje!?”
As the stone fragments intertwined and crunched together, Rudell, watching the scene, panicked and gathered his magic power.
But it was all for nothing.
CRACK!!
A magic-infused sword strike flickered from within the spherical stone mass wrapping Leje.
Soon, the spherical stone mass collapsed into pieces onto the ground.
“Great, now I’m covered in dust.”
Leje pouted as she brushed off the debris from her shoulder, unaffected.
“So? Is this all you’ve got?”
WOOO—!!
In response to her question, Subject 121 unleashed a roar and gathered magic power once more.
“Well, if that’s all there is, then there’s nothing more to see.”
Perhaps realizing that further combat would be a waste of time, she charged at Subject 121.
A long afterimage trailed behind her as magic power flared around her like a comet’s tail…
HAH!!
With her battle cry, countless blue sword strikes engulfed Subject 121.
Sigh…
With a short sigh, Leje sheathed her sword and turned around.
CLICK. The dry sound echoed, and the red mist of magic power surrounding Subject 121 dissipated.
And then, its body began to crumble into dozens and hundreds of pieces.
“Wha, what the hell…”
Rudell couldn’t help but let out a bewildered exclamation as he watched.
He knew she was strong, but he never expected her to be this strong.
Right in front of him, Subject 121 was someone he’d need to use all his magic power plus Kahlan’s bracelet just to have a fighting chance.
Yet Leje effortlessly dealt with Subject 121 without breaking a sweat.
“So… now then…”
Leaving behind the remains of what was once called Subject 121, Leje approached Rudell.
To be honest, Rudell felt like running away right then and there.
Even if he knew it would be pointless.
“I’m going to ask you one thing first.”
“Y-yes…?”
“That thing from my coming-of-age ceremony. It was you, right?”
“Yeah…”
Honestly, it would be weirder if he didn’t recognize it…
With such thoughts, Rudell nodded.
Her reaction was one of a complicated mixture of emotions as she looked at him.
“If you’re hiding something from me, spill it. Everything.”
“Uhh…”
He had thought that someday he would have to confess, but he never imagined it would be like this.
With a low groan, he began to divulge everything he knew.
The identity of the Church, the activities as “The One Who Steals Lives,” and all about his hidden true abilities.
As Leje listened, her expression began to darken.
And after a moment…
“This is all I know so far.”
“…”
He didn’t mention that he was from another world, or that he knew what would happen next, nor the Church’s true motives, simply because even what he had shared was enough to leave Leje in utter shock.
“How could you have kept that secret from me all this time!? Did you not trust me!?”
“Th, that’s not it! It’s just…”
“Or what!? Were you afraid of me getting into dangerous situations? You worried about me or something?”
“…!!”
At her question, Rudell gulped.
And noticing his reaction, Leje narrowed her eyes and looked at him.
“What, you really were worried about that?”
“…Yeah.”
Now that it had come to this, there was no reason to hide it.
With a feeling of despair, Rudell nodded.
And in that moment, Leje grabbed Rudell by the collar.
“Are you really an idiot!? Did you think I would appreciate that situation!?”
“Well…”
Rudell had no words to respond from his position.
At least, from what he had seen of her, she wasn’t the type to be happy about such things.
If something difficult came up, her response was to reach out without hesitation and say they would tackle it together.
That had always been Leje’s way.
“I’m really disappointed. I never thought you’d betray me like that.”
“…Leje.”
This isn’t what you think it is.
He wanted to say it, but seeing Leje blaming herself, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Just then.
“…?”
Rudell noticed the fragments of Subject 121 scattered behind them starting to bubble and swell.
“Leje!”
“Huh? What now?”
Rudell shouted in a panicked voice, and Leje turned back with a puzzled expression.
At that moment, the bubbling remnants of the subject emitted a blinding light.
And without a second thought, Rudell sprinted towards Leje, gathering his magic power.
A barrier made of a Black Shadow rose up beneath his feet, blocking their path.
The next moment, he felt a powerful shock envelop his body, and Rudell lost consciousness.
